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The use of current nutritional guidelines to support children's health including oral health

Publication at Faculty of Medicine in Pilsen |
2023

Abstract

In 2021 the Czech Society for Nutrition published a document "The Healthy thirteen-concise dietary guidelines for the general public." The aim of these recommendations for adults, children, and the elderly is to promote health with the goal of comprehensively communicating the basics of a healthy lifestyle, primarily by providing suggestions for healthy nutrition. The purpose of this article is to evaluate this document from the viewpoint of health promotion and protection, including oral health, in terms of its comprehensibility, utilization in paediatric practice and compatibility with the recommendations of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Association of Paediatric Dentistry (IAPD).

The Healthy thirteen is intelligible to the general public, describes specific steps feasible in practice and represents the merging of primary prevention with practice. Regarding the reduction of simple sugars consumption and maintaining the intake of phytoprotective substances, these guidelines are in line not only with the prevention of dental caries but also with the prevention of overweight and obesity in children.

The IAPD guidelines in relation to free sugars only significantly differ for children under two years of age. The IAPD requires a complete elimination of free sugar in the aforementioned age group.