How do eating disorders affect dental health?

CLINICAL CONTENT WRITTEN & REVIEWED BY CLOVE CLINICAL TEAM

Last Modified: July 5, 2023

FACT CHECKED

Though it is the most complicated mental disorder affecting hundreds of millions of people worldwide, in all of them, it can have adverse and serious impacts on the patient’s physical as well as mental health. In this way, its effects can be spread far and wide in the case of every kind of disorder.

While its destructive consequences are highly recognized in the realms of mental and physical health, the impact on dental health from eating disorders seems to be nowhere acknowledged. Most eating disorders pose severe effects on the oral health, resulting in numerous different dental problems that can cause extreme discomfort and long-term damage.

Other categories of eating disorders that are broad yet diverse include anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating disorder. Each one of these conditions causes a wide range of different dental conditions such as cavities, erosion of the enamel, and periodontal diseases. Generally, such conditions are brought on due to deficiency of rudimentary nutrients, poor oral hygiene, and frequent vomiting. In worse cases, eating disorders can result in a dental condition characterized by loss of teeth and jaw fractures with severe oral health issues. It is, therefore, important to understand the implications on dental health in order to ensure proper management and treatment for such conditions.

Relationship Between Eating Disorders and Dental Health

An eating disorder can cause serious effects on the oral health of a patient. The kind and seriousness of dental damage differ for each specific condition of an eating disorder in relation to the duration, frequency, and oral hygiene habits of the patient.

People with eating disorders have very low nutrition intake that weakens their immunity, and consequently could heighten the prevalence of infections in the oral cavity. Vomiting, vomiting, and overuse of laxatives cause dehydration. This contributes to dry mouth conditions where the mouth will be relatively dry hence prone to decayed teeth and gum diseases.

Dental Consequences of Eating Disorders

Eating disorders cause several dental complications. Among them, there are some dental caries which include:

Tooth Decay: Patients with the causes of eating disorders take too much sugar and other acidic foodstuff/drinks which break down the enamel layer thus making way for dental caries.
Gum Infection: Malnutrition, dehydration, and vomiting weaken gums and eventually cause gum infections.
The eating disorders may cause the breaking of the enamels. This exposes the sensitive inner layer, which is known as dentin, of the teeth. Thus, this condition leads to tooth sensitivity.
Oral Ulcers: There is irritation caused in the mouth and the throat due to frequent purging in the form of vomiting. It results in painful sores and ulcers.
Halitosis: The patients will have to suffer the foul breaths because of their poor oral health, dehydration, and acid reflux caused by their eating disorders

Anorexia and Dental Health

Anorexia is a form of eating disorder. Eating disorder Anorexia: it entails the main restriction of food intake; there is also an overwhelming fear of gaining weight. Anorexia can seriously affect dental health since there is poor nutrition among the people with anorexia, mostly deficiencies in essential vitamins and minerals for oral health.

A patient of anorexia also had low salivary flow. They cause a parched mouth, bad breath, and susceptibility to decay and gum diseases. Also, anorexia resulted in the erosion of teeth and ulcers in the mouth, sensitivity of teeth, and ulcers in the mouth.

Bulimia and Oral Health

Bulimia is one of the many types of eating disorders marked by repeated bouts of binge eating followed by purging through regurgitation or laxatives. Oral health in bulimia suffers significantly due to frequent vomiting and purging that causes damage to the enamel of the teeth and lesions in the oral cavity, and sensitivity of the teeth.

This may also lead to dehydration, and hence, a dry mouth with a condition frequently colloquially used in common language to refer to what is scientifically referred to as bad breath; this can lead to a higher risk for tooth decay and gum disease. Other than bulimia, there usually is chronic inflammation of the salivary glands that may lead to soreness and swelling.

Binge Eating Disorder and Oral Health

The consuming disorder takes the form of binge eating disorder characterized by episodes of very large portions of food. Most is conducted over a relatively short time and to the discomfort of one’s self. In that respect, binge eating disorder could severely affect dental health because the person would consume large amounts of sugary and acidic foods and drinks, which would eventually erode the enamel of the tooth and create cavities.

This makes one susceptible to gum disease and tooth caries. Besides that, a patient with binge eating disorder will normally have chronic halitosis and mouth ulcers.

Treatment of eating disorders and dental health

Most orders are to combine psychotherapy, medication, and nutrition counseling for treatment of eating disorders. However, sometimes hospitalization is required to ensure the patient receives the proper care in the form of medicine and psychology.

Treatment of dental health would depend on the dental conditions caused by the eating disorder. Hence, restorative procedure would be necessary in fixing the damaged teeth to be done through fillings, crowns, or root canals in dental treatment. Orthodontic therapy may also be recommended in correcting or aligning the problematic teeth as well as in getting things right for the patient’s bite.

Such patients may also require replacement of their teeth with implantations or dentures because loss of teeth is quite common. The overall treatment usually, however, improves the patient’s ability to eat and speak. In addition, self-esteem is often raised, and quality of life, in general, improves.

Dental Health Prevention Among Victims of Eating Disorders

Therefore, if preventive measures are undertaken and regular dental check-ups and cleanings help in detecting any problems at an early stage and prevent their progression, complications of dental disturbances which start due to eating disorders may be prevented.

Meanwhile, the patients of an eating disorder must take their oral hygiene by brushing and flossing some times with fluoride mouth paste. They should also avoid the ingestible and consumable things that look like sugar-like or acid-like and also hydrate well to avoid dehydration.

The other is the early treatment of the patients suffering from the eating disorders. It will ensure less development of dental complications, improvement of general health, and quality of life of the patient.

This is when treatment needs to be found. An individual suffering from an eating disorder needs to be intervened with. It can then avoid complications that would eventually lead to dental complications. Health and quality of life may improve.