Oral Health-related Patterns of Food Selectivity in Dental Populations

Clinical oral examinations are conducted by a dental practitioner. They point out the number of teeth (ranging from 0 to 32), the number of occlusal functional units (OFU, ranging from 0 to 10, with one unit considered as a pair of antagonist premolars and molars that had at least one contact area during maximum intercuspal relationships, evaluated by asking the participants to clench on a 200 µm thick articulating paper, the presence of dental prostheses (fixed prosthesis and removable denture), the number of denture worn during meals (removable partial or complete denture, either maxillary or mandibular, or both, with number ranging from 0 to 2), the number of decayed, missing, filled teeth (DMFT index, based on 28 teeth), and the Russel's periodontal index which is presently preferred to the Community (namely CPITN) because it takes tooth mobility into account.

Food selective behavior is assessed using a food selectivity questionnaire previously developed for French adults 34. Participants will be interviewed and asked to check each food item they do not eat among a list of 71 familiar products which includes raw foods and dishes from the following categories: starters, meat, fish, egg, garnish, dairy products, desserts, bread, and beverages. A food selectivity score corresponding to the total number of avoided foods will be assessed for each participant. For each avoided food, participants explain why they do not eat it among reasons including I don't know it, I dislike it, I suffer from chewing or swallowing it (oral discomfort), I experience difficulties digesting the food, This food is forbidden for medical reason, and This food is forbidden for ethical or religious reasons.