Abstract
Background: Anorexia nervosa is a psychosomatic disorder and is commonly associated with impaired oral health. Dentists can play a relevant role in the early diagnosis of anorexia nervosa. With the help of intra- and extraoral examinations and anamnesis, the dentist can detect characteristic signs and symptoms of this eating disorder. The purpose of this study was to determine the knowledge regarding the oral and physical manifestations of anorexia nervosa among general dental practitioners and specialist dentists of Poland.Material and Methods: A pretested online questionnaire consisting of a first part asking for the characteristics of the participant and a second part with 22 specific questions on their general knowledge of anorexia nervosa and knowledge of physical and oral manifestations of this eating disorder was used.Results: A total of 369 dentists completed the questionnaire. The Polish dentists in this study reported sufficient knowledge regarding anorexia nervosa. However, younger dentists and general dental practitioners had relatively lower knowledge scores than other groups. The dentists mainly had difficulties with the oral symptoms of anorexia nervosa.Conclusion: Despite Polish dentists having sufficient knowledge about anorexia nervosa in relation to the general symptoms of anorexia, there are deficits with regard to oral manifestations. Therefore, there is a need to increase continuing education in this field, which can improve early diagnosis of this disease by dental practitioners and referral to specialists for treatment.
Highlights
Nowadays, the beauty stereotype imposed by society demands that people be thinner and have nice and wellgroomed bodies
The link to the survey was sent by e-mails, researchers themselves contacted dentists to participate in the study, and participating dentists were asked to forward the questionnaire to their colleagues to achieve maximal participation
The majority of participants were female (83.2%), and dentists practiced in cities with more than 200,000 inhabitants (70.5%)
Summary
The beauty stereotype imposed by society demands that people be thinner and have nice and wellgroomed bodies. This fact can cause a divergence in perception between the idealized body and the real body and may contribute to the subsequent emergence of eating disorders [1]. Anorexia nervosa is a psychosomatic disorder and is commonly associated with impaired oral health. Dentists can play a relevant role in the early diagnosis of anorexia nervosa.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
