Abstract: A reference text is focused on helping practicing dentists and dental hygienists to realize the value of nutrition science to the oral area and to adopt nutrition counseling of patients as a regular part of their practice. The text contains both basic scientific information and the application of this information to oral health and disease. The 28 text chapters, prepared by experts in their respective fields, are grouped among 5 principal themes: (1) developmental oral biology and the significance of nutrition to oral health from the fetus through the elderly; (2) functional oral biology (taste; olfaction sensation; oral fluids; mineralization; nutrient requirements for preventing dental plague); (3) nutritional factors in the etiology of oral pat hology; (4) applied nutrition in oral hygiene; (5) and nutrient interactions in oral health and disease. Technical summaries and scientific facts are presented throughtout the text, and literature citations are appended to each chapter.