{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,23]],"date-time":"2026-07-23T16:48:24Z","timestamp":1784825304567,"version":"3.55.0"},"reference-count":42,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"1","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,27]],"date-time":"2025-12-27T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1766793600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Nutrients"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background\/Objectives: Within public health and preventive nutrition, food labeling plays a critical role in supporting healthier dietary behaviors. This study aimed to evaluate the behaviors, perceptions, and nutritional literacy of young adults from Ia\u0219i, Romania, regarding simple carbohydrates (SCHO) consumption and food label-reading habits. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted between May\u2013June 2023 using 20-item Likert-scale questionnaire completed by 150 participants aged 18\u201330 years. Statistical analysis included descriptive metrics, Chi-square tests, and Pearson\u2019s correlation, with significance set at p \u2264 0.05. Results: The cohort consisted of 72% females (N = 108) and 28% males (N = 42), with 42.7% (N = 64) holding university degrees. Although 22% (N = 33) considered SCHO consumption highly important, only 13.3% (N = 20) frequently read nutrition labels (p \u2264 0.05). Dietary patterns showed that 27.3% primarily consumed sweets, while others combined sweets with carbonated beverages, dairy products, or whole grains; overall, 44% (N = 66) reported frequent sweet consumption. Label reading was highest for sweets (40.7%), lower for dairy products (19.3%) and soft drinks (9.3%). Additionally, 30.7% (N = 46) checked only expiration dates, whereas just 11.3% (N = 17) reviewed nutritional content. Trust in label accuracy was low: 48% (N = 72) expressed neutrality and 14% (N = 21) disagreed. Although 77.3% (N = 116) recognized the link between sugar intake and dental caries, only 23.3% (N = 35) felt well informed about oral health risks. Taste dominated food selection (68.7%), while nutritional value was cited by 16.7% (N = 25). Conclusions: Young adults from Ia\u0219i demonstrated notable gaps in nutritional literacy and suboptimal dietary behaviors, emphasizing the need for structured educational strategies to improve preventive practices relevant to systemic and oral health.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/nu18010091","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,29]],"date-time":"2025-12-29T08:47:27Z","timestamp":1766998047000},"page":"91","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Dietary Behaviors, Sugar Intake, and Public Awareness of Nutritional Labeling Among Young Adults: Implications for Oral and Systemic Health"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"18","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4281-3590","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Catalina Iulia","family":"Saveanu","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Surgical, Faculty of Dental Medicine, Grigore T. Popa University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 700115 Iasi, Romania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Paula","family":"Ilie","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Surgical, Faculty of Dental Medicine, Grigore T. Popa University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 700115 Iasi, Romania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-1137-7105","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Daniela","family":"Anistoroaei","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Surgical, Faculty of Dental Medicine, Grigore T. Popa University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 700115 Iasi, Romania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4686-9743","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Livia Ionela","family":"Bobu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Surgical, Faculty of Dental Medicine, Grigore T. Popa University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 700115 Iasi, Romania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Alexandra Ecaterina","family":"Saveanu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Dental Medicine, Grigore T. Popa University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 700115 Iasi, Romania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Octavian","family":"Boronia","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Dental Medicine, Grigore T. Popa University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 700115 Iasi, Romania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0004-2598-0874","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Loredana","family":"Golovcencu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Surgical, Faculty of Dental Medicine, Grigore T. Popa University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 700115 Iasi, Romania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,27]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"901","DOI":"10.3945\/ajcn.114.089458","article-title":"Consumption of added sugars among US children and adults by food purchase location and food source","volume":"100","author":"Drewnowski","year":"2014","journal-title":"Am. J. Clin. Nutr."},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Pang, L., Zhi, Q., Jian, W., Liu, Z., and Lin, H. (2022). The Oral Microbiome Impacts the Link between Sugar Consumption and Caries: A Preliminary Study. Nutrients, 14.","DOI":"10.3390\/nu14183693"},{"key":"ref_3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Mu\u00f1oz-Cabrejas, A., Guallar-Castill\u00f3n, P., Laclaustra, M., Sandoval-Insausti, H., and Moreno-Franco, B. (2023). Association between Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Consumption and the Risk of the Metabolic Syndrome: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Nutrients, 15.","DOI":"10.3390\/nu15020430"},{"key":"ref_4","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Pixner, T., Stummer, N., Schneider, A.M., Lukas, A., Gramlinger, K., Julian, V., Thivel, D., M\u00f6rwald, K., Maruszczak, K., and Mangge, H. (2022). The Role of Macronutrients in the Pathogenesis, Prevention and Treatment of Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) in the Paediatric Population-A Review. Life, 12.","DOI":"10.3390\/life12060839"},{"key":"ref_5","unstructured":"World Health Organization (WHO) (2022). WHO Guideline on Policies to Protect Children from the Harmful Impact of Food Marketing, WHO. Available online: https:\/\/www.who.int\/news-room\/fact-sheets\/detail\/healthy-diet."},{"key":"ref_6","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Sajdakowska, M., G\u0119bski, J., Wardaszka, A., and Wieczorek, A. (2022). Evaluation of Food Labelling of Products with Information Regarding the Level of Sugar: A Preliminary Study. Nutrients, 14.","DOI":"10.3390\/nu14132697"},{"key":"ref_7","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Isola, G. (2020). The Impact of Diet, Nutrition and Nutraceuticals on Oral and Periodontal Health. Nutrients, 12.","DOI":"10.3390\/nu12092724"},{"key":"ref_8","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"147","DOI":"10.1016\/j.disamonth.2018.09.009","article-title":"Nutrition and Oral Health","volume":"65","author":"Gondivkar","year":"2019","journal-title":"Disease-a-Month"},{"key":"ref_9","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"35","DOI":"10.1038\/s41368-022-00186-0","article-title":"Expert Consensus on Early Childhood Caries Management","volume":"14","author":"Zou","year":"2022","journal-title":"Int. J. Oral Sci."},{"key":"ref_10","first-page":"e2022079","article-title":"Assessing the Level of Knowledge and Attitudes of Young People about Nutrition and Oral Health","volume":"24","author":"Saveanu","year":"2022","journal-title":"Prog. Nutr."},{"key":"ref_11","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"187","DOI":"10.1093\/nutrit\/nux069","article-title":"Effect of nutrition labels on dietary quality among college students: A systematic review and meta-analysis","volume":"76","author":"Christoph","year":"2018","journal-title":"Nutr. Rev."},{"key":"ref_12","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Zare, H., Gilmore, D.R., Creighton, C., Azadi, M., Gaskin, D.J., and Thorpe, R.J. (2021). How Income Inequality Race\/Ethnicity Drive Obesity in U.S. Adults: 1999\u20132016. Healthcare, 9.","DOI":"10.3390\/healthcare9111442"},{"key":"ref_13","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Kusama, T., Nakazawa, N., Takeuchi, K., Kiuchi, S., and Osaka, K. (2022). Free Sugar Intake and Periodontal Diseases: A Systematic Review. Nutrients, 14.","DOI":"10.3390\/nu14214444"},{"key":"ref_14","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"123","DOI":"10.1111\/nbu.12538","article-title":"UK Nutrition Research Partnership Workshop: Nutrition and Frailty\u2014Opportunities for Prevention and Treatment","volume":"47","author":"Robinson","year":"2022","journal-title":"Nutr. Bull."},{"key":"ref_15","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"297","DOI":"10.1159\/000507692","article-title":"How to Intervene in the Caries Process in Children: A Joint ORCA and EFCD Expert Delphi Consensus Statement","volume":"54","author":"Splieth","year":"2020","journal-title":"Caries Res."},{"key":"ref_16","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Sta\u015bkiewicz, W., Grochowska-Niedworok, E., Zydek, G., Grajek, M., Krupa-Kotara, K., Bia\u0142ek-Dratwa, A., Jaruga-S\u0119kowska, S., Kowalski, O., and Kardas, M. (2023). The Assessment of Body Composition and Nutritional Awareness of Football Players According to Age. Nutrients, 15.","DOI":"10.3390\/nu15030705"},{"key":"ref_17","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Pop, L.-M., Iorga, M., Muraru, I.-D., and Petrariu, F.-D. (2021). Assessment of Dietary Habits, Physical Activity and Lifestyle in Medical University Students. Sustainability, 13.","DOI":"10.3390\/su13063572"},{"key":"ref_18","unstructured":"Institutul Na\u021bional de Statistic\u0103 (2022, November 15). Recens\u0103m\u00e2ntul Popula\u021biei \u0219i Locuin\u021belor 2021\u2014Rezultate Definitive. Available online: https:\/\/www.recensamantromania.ro\/rezultate-rpl-2021\/rezultate-definitive-caracteristici-demografice\/."},{"key":"ref_19","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Mititelu, M., Popovici, V., Neac\u0219u, S.M., Musuc, A.M., Busnatu, \u0218.S., Oprea, E., Boroghin\u0103, S.C., Mihai, A., Streba, C.T., and Lupuliasa, D. (2024). Assessment of Dietary and Lifestyle Quality among the Romanian Population in the Post-Pandemic Period. Healthcare, 12.","DOI":"10.20944\/preprints202404.0498.v1"},{"key":"ref_20","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Boariu, S.M., Mure\u0219an, A.E., Co\u0219arca, D.C., and Popa, D.E. (2024). Food Literacy Assessment of a Sample of Romanian Higher Education Students. Sustainability, 16.","DOI":"10.3390\/su16031034"},{"key":"ref_21","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"598","DOI":"10.1186\/s13063-021-05542-9","article-title":"Power and sample size calculation for stepped-wedge designs with discrete outcomes","volume":"22","author":"Xia","year":"2021","journal-title":"Trials"},{"key":"ref_22","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Atkinson, F.S., Brand-Miller, J.C., Buyken, A.E., and Foster-Powell, K. (2021). The impact of carbohydrate quality on dental plaque pH: Does the glycemic index of starchy foods matter for dental health?. Nutrients, 13.","DOI":"10.3390\/nu13082711"},{"key":"ref_23","first-page":"e2021307","article-title":"Cross-sectional study to evaluate the influence of nutritional behavior on the dental health of Romanian teenagers","volume":"23","author":"Anistoroaei","year":"2022","journal-title":"Prog. Nutr."},{"key":"ref_24","unstructured":"Cooper, K., Gasper, W., Flores, R., Clarke, M., Bass, E., Evans, L., and Ponce, J. (2022). Exploring the Readability of Ingredients Lists of Food Labels with Existing Metrics. AMIA Jt. Summits Transl. Sci. Proc., 159\u2013167. Available online: https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/35854712\/."},{"key":"ref_25","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Clemente-Su\u00e1rez, V.J., Beltr\u00e1n-Velasco, A.I., Ramos-Campo, D.J., and Mielgo-Ayuso, J. (2022). The burden of carbohydrates in health and disease. Nutrients, 14.","DOI":"10.3390\/nu14183809"},{"key":"ref_26","first-page":"181","article-title":"Assessment of oral health behavior in adolescents with various social backgrounds","volume":"16","author":"Murariu","year":"2024","journal-title":"Rom. J. Oral Rehabil."},{"key":"ref_27","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"3315","DOI":"10.1007\/s00784-020-03431-0","article-title":"How to intervene in the caries process in adults: Proximal and secondary caries? An EFCD\u2013ORCA\u2013DGZ expert Delphi consensus statement","volume":"24","author":"Schwendicke","year":"2020","journal-title":"Clin. Oral Investig."},{"key":"ref_28","first-page":"516","article-title":"Caries disease and health care needs of 11\u201313-year-old school children in the Lemba Commune of Kinshasa, DR Congo","volume":"17","author":"Penze","year":"2025","journal-title":"Rom. J. Oral Rehabil."},{"key":"ref_29","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"104199","DOI":"10.1016\/j.foodqual.2021.104199","article-title":"The relative importance of primary food choice factors among different consumer groups: A latent profile analysis","volume":"94","author":"Dana","year":"2021","journal-title":"Food Qual. Prefer."},{"key":"ref_30","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"414","DOI":"10.1111\/joor.13305","article-title":"A survey of patients\u2019 concerns about visiting the dentist and how dentists can help","volume":"49","author":"Calladine","year":"2022","journal-title":"J. Oral Rehabil."},{"key":"ref_31","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"7","DOI":"10.1111\/cdoe.12498","article-title":"Vegetarian diet and its possible influence on dental health: A systematic literature review","volume":"48","author":"Smits","year":"2020","journal-title":"Community Dent. Oral Epidemiol."},{"key":"ref_32","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"101524","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jebdp.2020.101524","article-title":"Weak evidence suggests vegetarian diets may be associated with an increased risk of dental erosion","volume":"21","author":"Marshall","year":"2021","journal-title":"J. Evid.-Based Dent. Pract."},{"key":"ref_33","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"481","DOI":"10.1111\/jcpe.13094","article-title":"The influence of an anti-inflammatory diet on gingivitis: A randomized controlled trial","volume":"46","author":"Woelber","year":"2019","journal-title":"J. Clin. Periodontol."},{"key":"ref_34","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"43","DOI":"10.1038\/s41432-023-00853-z","article-title":"Influence of the vegan, vegetarian and omnivore diet on the oral health status in adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis","volume":"24","author":"Azzola","year":"2023","journal-title":"Evid.-Based Dent."},{"key":"ref_35","first-page":"479","article-title":"Potential Role for Natural Products in Dental Caries Control","volume":"17","author":"Philip","year":"2019","journal-title":"Oral Health Prev. Dent."},{"key":"ref_36","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"De Stefano, R. (2019). Psychological Factors in Dental Patient Care: Odontophobia. Medicina, 55.","DOI":"10.3390\/medicina55100678"},{"key":"ref_37","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"717","DOI":"10.1089\/acm.2020.0504","article-title":"Dealing with anxious patients: A systematic review of the literature on nonpharmaceutical interventions to reduce anxiety in patients undergoing medical or dental procedures","volume":"27","author":"Weisfeld","year":"2021","journal-title":"J. Altern. Complement. Med."},{"key":"ref_38","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Hofer, D., Thoma, M.V., Schmidlin, P.R., Attin, T., Ehlert, U., and Nater, U.M. (2016). Pre-treatment anxiety in a dental hygiene recall population: A cross-sectional pilot study. BMC Oral Health, 16.","DOI":"10.1186\/s12903-016-0198-8"},{"key":"ref_39","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"306","DOI":"10.1080\/17538157.2021.1893322","article-title":"Enhancing smart healthcare in dentistry: An approach to managing patients\u2019 stress","volume":"46","author":"Labus","year":"2021","journal-title":"Inform. Health Soc. Care"},{"key":"ref_40","first-page":"40","article-title":"Evaluation of the relationship between anxiety levels and dental appearance","volume":"47","author":"Haciomeroglu","year":"2023","journal-title":"J. Clin. Pediatr. Dent."},{"key":"ref_41","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"193","DOI":"10.17245\/jdapm.2023.23.4.193","article-title":"What is the gold standard of the dental anxiety scale?","volume":"23","author":"Chi","year":"2023","journal-title":"J. Dent. Anesth. Pain Med."},{"key":"ref_42","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Alharbi, A., Humphris, G., and Freeman, R. (2023). The associations among dental anxiety, self-esteem, and oral health-related quality of life in children: A cross-sectional study. Dent. J., 11.","DOI":"10.3390\/dj11070179"}],"container-title":["Nutrients"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2072-6643\/18\/1\/91\/pdf","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,29]],"date-time":"2025-12-29T08:53:32Z","timestamp":1766998412000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2072-6643\/18\/1\/91"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,27]]},"references-count":42,"journal-issue":{"issue":"1","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,1]]}},"alternative-id":["nu18010091"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/nu18010091","relation":{},"ISSN":["2072-6643"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2072-6643","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,27]]}}}