Influence of vegan and vegetarian diet on oral health

Introduction: nutrition plays an essential role in the prevention and development of diseases. A vegetarian diet is defined by the exclusion of meat of all kinds from a person's eating habits. Objective: to identify dietary habits associated with oral diseases in workers at the Open Interamerican University. Methods: observational, descriptive, cross-sectional study with the aim of identifying dietary habits associated with oral diseases in the period 2022-2023. The work framework was outlined and the activities to be carried out were detailed in order to obtain interviews and complete surveys on dietary habits related to the most prevalent oral diseases, such as caries and periodontal diseases. The universe coincided with the sample, 60 people, from a non-probabilistic convenience sampling. The main instruments used for data collection were structured surveys, designed to address 14 specific questions, focused on the oral health-related dietary habits of the participants. Results: the data obtained showed that 37 people in the studied population were vegetarians (61, 7 %) and 23 were vegans (38, 3 %). Of the 60 participants, 100 % of the vegetarians consumed fruits and vegetables. In the case of vegans, 70 % consumed eggs, while 100 % of vegans and vegetarians consumed vitamin supplements. Regarding the presence of caries and periodontal disease, in the last 6 months, 28, 3 % had presented caries, 60 % said they were healthy, 40 %, while 11, 7 % did not know. Conclusions: promoting effective dietary habits in the population is of utmost importance in the prevention of dental caries and periodontal disease.