Bulimia Ravages Oral Health

Dental professionals often in unique position to detect the damaging disorder

Patients suffering from bulimia may be able to hide the disorder from friends, family and coworkers, but it’s not as easy to keep it hidden from dentists. Changes inside the mouth of a bulimic patient may be detected during the course of a routine examination. This places dental professionals in a position to be among the first to detect this harmful disorder.

Bulimia is a serious eating disorder characterized by episodes of compulsive binge eating followed by purging behaviors such as self-induced vomiting. This destructive cycle brings stomach acids in contact with the mouth and teeth, causing erosion of tooth enamel. The problem is usually most damaging to the front teeth, leading to severely decayed teeth and foul breath.

"Oral examinations of bulimic patients may reveal eroded teeth, fillings that are raised above the tooth surface, dry mouth and related oral problems," said Roger Smith, DDS, dental director, Delta Dental of Michigan. Bulimic practices result in poor nutrition and hormonal changes that can also affect the bones that support teeth.

Bulimia Facts:

• Five million Americans suffer from eating disorders
  National Institute of Mental Health

• Twenty-eight percent of bulimia cases are first diagnosed during dental exams
  Colgate Oral Pharmaceuticals and the Institute of Dental Research

• Fifteen percent of young women have substantially disordered eating attitudes and behaviors
  National Eating Disorders Screening Program

• Two to three percent of adolescent women develop bulimia
  U.S. Surgeon General

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