Hancock, SSchofield, GZinn, C2026-05-202026-05-202022-07-21Nutrients, ISSN: 2072-6643 (Print); 2072-6643 (Online), MDPI AG, 14(14), 2984-. doi: 10.3390/nu141429842072-66432072-6643http://hdl.handle.net/10292/21159Eating patterns characterised by low intakes of processed carbohydrates and higher intakes of fat- and Vitamin D-rich foods are associated with protection against dental caries. The aim of this formative study was to evaluate the extent to which the knowledge of children and adults of foods for oral health reflects dietary guideline advice, and the evidence base for foods associated with increased and decreased caries burdens. Using a novel card-sorting task, the participants categorised foods according to their knowledge of each food for oral health. There were no differences between children and adults in the categorisation of fresh, minimally processed foods. Fish, chicken, and red meat were categorised as healthy by significantly fewer children than adults. High-sugar foods were correctly characterised as unhealthy by nearly all participants. More children categorised breakfast cereals as healthy than adults. There were no statistically significant differences between children and adults for the categorisation of brown or wholegrain breads categorised as healthy. The alignment of the participants' beliefs with dietary guideline recommendations suggests education through health promotion initiatives is successful in achieving knowledge acquisition in children and adults. However, recommendations to increase the intake of refined carbohydrates inadvertently advocate foods associated with increased caries burdens.© 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/carbohydratesdental cariesdental diseasesdietary guidelineseating behaviourhealth educationhealth promotionnutrition knowledgeoral healthoral nutritionprocessed foods32 Biomedical and Clinical Sciences4206 Public Health42 Health Sciences3203 Dentistry3210 Nutrition and DieteticsPreventionInfectious DiseasesDental/Oral and Craniofacial DiseasePediatric Research InitiativeClinical ResearchObesityClinical Trials and Supportive ActivitiesNutrition3.3 Nutrition and chemoprevention3.1 Primary prevention interventions to modify behaviours or promote wellbeingMetabolic and endocrineOral and gastrointestinalCardiovascularCancerStroke0908 Food Sciences1111 Nutrition and Dietetics3202 Clinical sciences3210 Nutrition and dietetics4206 Public healthAnimalsCarbohydratesDental CariesDietFoodHumansNutrition PolicyOral HealthAnimalsHumansDental CariesCarbohydratesDietNutrition PolicyFoodOral HealthAnimalsCarbohydratesDental CariesDietFoodHumansNutrition PolicyOral HealthJournal ArticleOpenAccess10.3390/nu14142984