Dental erosion in patients affected by eating disorders: a preliminary study

BACKGRO UND: Dental erosion, which is the irreversible loss of hard tissues of the tooth due to a chemical process on the dental surface, sees the presence of acids as a fundamental prerequisite: erosive wear is complex and depends on the interaction of biological, chemical and behavioral disorders, making it a multi-factor etiology injury. This preliminary study aims to show the correlations between Eating Disorders and the onset of dental erosion, from the point of view of clinical objectivity and focusing on the subjective perception of oral health in this type of patients. The long-term goal is also to promote an interdisciplinary collaboration to deepen the knowledge of the most frequent oral and perioral manifestations in people affected by Eating Disorders and to determine operational, preventive and clinical paths. Methods: This study was conducted by evaluating oral health in two experimental groups organized in a coherent way by number of participants, gender and age. In the first phase, the complete Italian version of the Oral Health Impact Profile 49 (OHIP 49) on the Oral Health related Quality of Life (OHrQoL) was administered to both groups. A dental visit was then proposed to all patients whose data concerning the experience of caries (D3MFT), periodontal health (CPI) and the presence of erosions (BEWE) were recorded on a specific clinical chart. RESULTS: The summary of the OHIP-49 questionnaire reported that the Study Group was the one with the greatest perception of oral health interference on the quality of life, especially regarding psychological and social disability, with repercussions on the sleep-wake rhythm and consequent depression, difficulty in concentration or relaxation and impediments in social relationships. From the objective examination, in the Studio Group the average BEWE score was 2.0 compared to 0.9 of the control group; the CPI was found to be 2 (presence of tartar) in 57.9% of patients with DCA (against 9.4% of the Control Group) and the total DMFT in the two groups was 9.2 and 4.2 respectively . CONCLUSIONS: In the last twenty years various studies in the literature report a significant prevalence of enamel erosions in patients with eating disorders. The incidence of these disorders is constantly increasing, therefore more and more dentists and dental hygienists, through intra-oral clinical examination, will play a fundamental role in the identification and early diagnosis of such food pathologies. To further investigate the perception that these patients have of their oral health status about both their daily life and their relationship with themselves and others may be important for their clinical management.