I think he under-emphasizes the role of nutrition. The studies on crooked teeth and animals were interesting, but I still am maybe leaning toward nutrition being a very big contributor. He doesn't even mention vitamin D-3 or calcium...do those not make a difference? He also seemed to underemphasize K-2 nutrition throughout childhood.
Rest assured, he does focus on the role of nutrition and foods in malocclusion and dental health and he is one of the biggest proponents of D3 and K2 on the Internet. Many of his readers started eating foods rich in D3 and K2 (and vitamin A and minerals) and supplementing D3 where necessary because of Stephan's articles. He's not raw Paleo and I don't agree with him on everything, but he has written a lot on the topics you mention. Here are some samples--and there is much more (emphases mine):
"Over the course of the next several posts, I'll give an overview of the extensive literature showing that hunter-gatherers past and present have excellent occlusion, subsistence agriculturalists generally have good occlusion, and
the adoption of modern foodways directly causes the crooked teeth, narrow arches and/or crowded third molars (wisdom teeth) that affect the majority of people in industrialized nations. I believe this process also affects the development of the rest of the skull, including the face and sinuses."
....
There are three main factors that I believe contribute to malocclusion in modern societies:
1. Maternal
nutrition during the first trimester of pregnancy.
Vitamin K2, found in
organs, pastured dairy and
eggs, is particularly important. We may also make small amounts from the K1 found in green vegetables.
2. Sucking habits from birth to age four. Breast feeding protects against malocclusion. Bottle feeding, pacifiers and finger sucking probably increase the risk of malocclusion. Cup feeding and orthodontic pacifiers are probably acceptable alternatives.
3. Food toughness. The jaws probably require stress from tough food to develop correctly. This can contribute to the widening of the dental arch until roughly age 17.
Beef jerky, raw vegetables, raw fruit, tough cuts of meat and nuts are all good ways to exercise the jaws.
....
Dr. Robert Corruccini published several papers documenting narrowed arches in one generation of
dietary change, or in genetically similar populations living rural or urban lifestyles (reviewed in reference #5). One was a study of Caucasians in Kentucky, in which a change from a traditional subsistence diet to modern industrial food habits accompanied a marked narrowing of arches and increase in malocclusion in one generation. Another study examined older and younger generations of Pima Native Americans, which again showed a reduction in arch width in one generation. A third compared rural and urban Indians living in the vicinity of Chandigarh, showing marked differences in arch breadth and the prevalence of malocclusion between the two genetically similar populations. Corruccini states:
<< In Chandigarh,
processed food predominates, while in the country coarse millet and locally grown vegetables are staples. Raw sugar cane is widely chewed for enjoyment rurally [interestingly, the rural group had the lowest incidence of tooth decay], and in the country dental care is lacking, being replaced by chewing on acacia boughs which clean the teeth and are considered medicinal.>>
....
There's a definite association between the consumption of
refined carbohydrates and dental cavities.
.... Decalcification is a loss of minerals that is part of the process of tooth decay. Teeth, like bones, are mineralized primarily with
calcium and phosphorus, and there is a dynamic equilibrium between minerals leaching out of the teeth and
minerals entering them.
....
In another paper, Dr. T. W. B. Osborn and his group showed that they could greatly curb the
decalcification process by adding organic
calcium and phosphorus salts to the solution. This again points to a dynamic equilibrium, where minerals are constantly leaving and entering the tooth structure. The amounts of
calcium and phosphorus required to inhibit calcification were similar to the amounts found in unrefined cane sugar, wheat and corn. This suggests the straightforward explanation that refined sugar and grains cause decay at least in part because most of the minerals are removed during the refining process.
...
wheat and corn flour decalcify teeth in vitro more effectively than cane juice. I suspect that has to do with the phytic acid content of the grains, which binds the minerals and makes them partially unavailable to diffusion into the teeth. Cane juice contains minerals, but no phytic acid, so it may have a higher mineral availability. This explanation may not be able to account for the fact that refined sugar was also less effective at decalcifying teeth than refined wheat and corn flour. Perhaps the residual phytic acid in the refined grains actually drew minerals out of the teeth?
No, I'm not saying you can eat sugar with impunity if it's unrefined. There isn't a lot of research on the effects of refined vs. unrefined sugar, but I suspect too much sugar in any form isn't good. But this does suggest that refined carbohydrates may be particularly effective at promoting cavities, due to a direct demineralizing effect on teeth subsequent to bacterial acid production.
....
Thus, in dogs, the factors that affect tooth healing are the same factors that affect tooth development:
1. The
mineral content of the diet,
particularly calcium and phosphorus
2. The fat-soluble vitamin content of the diet,
chiefly vitamin D 3. The availability of minerals for absorption, determined largely by the
diet's phytic acid content (prevents
mineral absorption)
....
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Dental Anecdotes
Here are a few anecdotes gleaned from past comments that describe improvements in oral health due to a
change in diet. Please feel free to add your own (positive or negative) experience to the comments. I may add it to the post.
Stan: My teeth stopped decaying and some breakage (broken tooth due to mechanical damage, 5 years ago) begun sealing itself with new enamel on my
high animal fat, low carb diet of the last 10 years. I still have all my teeth including wisdom teeth. My teeth no longer develop plaque/scale and thus no need to descale, and I no longer develop cold sores on my gums. I haven't been to a dentist since 1999 (I am 53). [From another comment] I can fully confirm the astounding effect of a diet very high in animal produce and low in plants, on my teeth. My tooth decay has totally stopped! I wrote about that before but it is worth repeating: - my teeth would not decay even if mechanically damaged, broken in half etc. The broken exposed parts of a tooth, even if the core is open, just seals itself over time.
Dave: Our family has had similar experiences. In particular, my daughter had a poorly formed molar (she was a spring baby, before we started
Vitamin D, hmmmm). The tooth had quite a large crater in it. I put her on
D3 and cod liver oil/butter oil. We finally got a dentist she'd cooperate with enough for X-rays. The result was exactly as described above: a thick layer of dentin had formed. The dentist was thoroughly puzzled, which I enjoyed immensely :-)
Arnoud: For years my dentist has been insisting on more frequent and more aggressive cleaning techniques.... to no avail. Last year I started
Vitamin D supplementation, and a more Paleo style of diet, and the 'chronic' inflammation of my gums resolved themselves within days, literally. My dentist claims it is a coincidence. I think not!
Martin: Once I
changed my diet to one close to what is listed in this entry, and added a
vitamin D3 supplement, my dental health greatly improved. No more cavities, and beyond that, no more rapid build-up of dental plaque. To prevent gum problems, I used to have to get my teeth cleaned four times a year, now, once a year is enough, and it seems to me, even that might not be necessary.
....
