Host response, malnutrition and oral diseases. Part 2

Acute phase proteins enhance antioxidant defenses; they are involved in the activation of complement components, opsonization and increase in platelet aggregation as well as inhibition of the respiratory burst in the course of inflammation. Malnutrition plays an important role in the course of response of acute phase proteins. The role of nutrients as antioxidants or as key components of antioxidant enzymes is commonly known. In the course of various inflammatory states, including oral diseases, disorders are observed in caloric requirements of the organism and the requirements for specific amino acids. Numerous experimental studies in animals have also confirmed the relationship between protein- calorie malnutrition and hypofunction of the salivary glands. Studies in children with malnutrition syndrome showed a significantly lower volume of saliva compared to properly nourished children. Depleted nutritional reserves due to long-term chronic malnutrition cause a significant reduction in resistance, progressive damage to the oral mucosa, and reduce resistance to colonization and invasion of pathogenic microorganisms.