The effectiveness of a dental/dietitian team in the assessment of bulimic dental health.
Individuals with bulimia nervosa have been found to experience a variety of dental complications. Because of purging behaviors and erratic food consumption, the oral manifestations of bulimia frequently include irreversible enamel erosion, xerostomia, and oral mucosal irritation. A pilot study was conducted to determine the effectiveness of the dental/dietitian team in assessing the dental health of individuals with bulimia. Control and bulimic subjects were compared. The results demonstrated a significantly different (p less than .05) intake of folacin-412 micrograms in controls compared with 207 micrograms in bulimic subjects. Control subjects were found to have significantly greater (p less than .05) amounts of calculus deposits on teeth; however, subjects with bulimia demonstrated a lower (p less than .05) saliva pH. We conclude that the collaborative effort of the dental/dietitian team was useful in the assessment of dental health. The team approach may also help to identify clients with bulimia and facilitate therapy.
Howat
P M
PM
School of Home Economics, Louisiana Agricultural Experiment Station, Louisiana State University Agricultural Center, Baton Rouge 70803-4301.
Varner
L M
LM
Wampold
R L
RL
D000328:Adult; D002032:Bulimia / Q000150:complications*; D002400:Cathartics; D015930:Diet Records; D004435:Eating; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D010348:Patient Care Team; D012463:Saliva / Q000032:analysis*; D012984:Software; D014077:Tooth Erosion / Q000209:etiology*; D014099:Toothbrushing; D014839:Vomiting
D002400:Cathartics