NDAEB Preventive Procedures and Nutrition 2

Question 1

A patient consumes sugary snacks five times throughout the day in addition to three main meals.
From a caries prevention perspective, why is this eating pattern more harmful than consuming the same amount of sugar in fewer sittings?

Accepted Answer

Each sugar exposure creates a separate acid attack lasting 20-40 minutes, so five snacks create five acid attacks with minimal recovery time between them

Answer

The total sugar intake is higher with more snacks

Answer

Snacking increases saliva flow, which washes away protective minerals

Answer

The type of sugar in snacks is different from that in meals

Question 2

Which vitamin deficiency is most commonly associated with oral manifestations including gingival bleeding, delayed wound healing, and loosening of teeth?

Accepted Answer

Vitamin C deficiency (scurvy)

Answer

Vitamin A deficiency

Answer

Vitamin B12 deficiency

Answer

Vitamin D deficiency

Question 3

What role does calcium in the diet play in dental health throughout the lifespan?

Accepted Answer

Calcium is important at all ages: it supports tooth development in children, maintains alveolar bone density in adults, and helps prevent osteoporosis-related bone loss that can worsen periodontal disease in older adults

Answer

Calcium only matters during childhood for tooth development

Answer

Dietary calcium has no direct relationship to dental health

Answer

Calcium is only important for preventing dental caries

Question 4

A dental assistant is conducting a dietary analysis with a patient. Which tool is most commonly used in dental practice to assess a patient's eating patterns for caries risk?

Accepted Answer

A three-to-seven day food diary recording all foods, beverages, snacking times, and frequency of sugar exposure

Answer

A 24-hour food frequency questionnaire

Answer

A blood test for nutrient levels

Answer

Weighing the patient at each appointment

Question 5

Which sugar substitute has been shown to actively reduce dental caries rather than simply being non-cariogenic?

Accepted Answer

Xylitol

Answer

Aspartame

Answer

Sucralose

Answer

Saccharin

Question 6

What is the effect of frequent consumption of acidic foods and beverages on tooth enamel, and how does this differ from caries?

Accepted Answer

Erosion from dietary acids causes chemical dissolution of enamel without bacterial involvement, resulting in smooth, generalized enamel loss rather than the localized bacterial-mediated lesions of caries

Answer

Acidic foods cause the same type of damage as caries

Answer

Acidic foods have no effect on enamel

Answer

Acidic foods only affect dentin, not enamel