Sir, I would like to draw your readers' attention to the Oral health and nutrition guidance for professionals, a publication by NHS Health Scotland. Released in June 2012, this guidance provides an excellent resource to support the dental team in delivering the nutritional outcomes of oral health improvement strategies.

The need for this document grew from the problem of confusing and sometimes conflicting oral health education messages being provided by different healthcare professionals. This guidance focuses on improving the modifiable risk of diet, specifically in relation to the areas of conflict between oral health and nutrition messages. By adopting the common risk factor approach,1,2 oral health can be improved and diet-related diseases of the population tackled. The potential benefits of such an approach are far greater than isolated interventions. This approach is advocated in the World Health Organisation strategy in oral disease prevention at a global level.3

This guidance covers advice on: diet and nutrition, oral health, between-meals food and drink and recommendations for specific groups, such as the under-fives and nutritionally vulnerable older people. It aims to provide agreed, consistent, evidence-based guidance for improving both oral health and general nutrition for the whole population. There is also a particular focus for the under-fives as intervention in the earliest years is vital for improved outcomes in the short and long term and will positively impact across the life course.

While the guidance takes a population approach, it is not clinical guidance. It does not address any medical conditions or individual nutritional and dental needs of particular groups, therefore these issues should be referred to the appropriate professional. Although the guidance is a Scottish publication, it is also available electronically at www.healthscotland.com/documents/5885.aspx.