Bulimia wears thin on dentition

Eating Disorders Awareness Week will take place between February 27 and March 5, 2017, focusing, in part, on early intervention. A leading charity in this area, BEAT (www.b-eat.co.uk), is looking to educate both healthcare professionals and the wider public about eating disorders so that they are equipped to help if a patient or someone they know may be suffering.

Dental professionals are no exception, and with The Costs of Eating Disorders - Social, Health and Economic Impacts report estimating that more than 725,000 people in the UK are affected by an eating disorder, there is a very good chance that more than a few of your patients may need help in this area.   

The eating disorder that tends to have the greatest effect on oral health is bulimia nervosa, which involves the sufferer being caught in a cycle of eating large quantities of food and then vomiting (known as purging) in order to prevent weight gain. This can result in severe damage to the teeth in the form of erosion, so it is certainly something that we, as dental care profesisonals, should be keeping an eye out for.