[Oral complications in patients with anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa]

This article presents the oral situation of 11 anorectic and 41 bulimic patients and compares it with 50 healthy control persons. While patients with an eating disorder showed less signs of gingival inflammation (SBI: anorexia: 14.6%; bulimia: 12.5%; controls: 44.7%), they had clearly more enamel erosions than healthy control persons. In 27 of 41 bulimic patients a bilateral swelling of the parotid gland was found. A significant correlation between the parotid enlargement and enamel erosion exists in bulimic patients with an anorectic prephase. Patients with an eating disorder had higher levels of serum amylase than healthy control persons. A significant correlation between serum amylase activity and dental characteristics was found in bulimic patients.