Neuroscience
Dental treatment can, in rare cases, trigger anorexia nervosa in those susceptible to the illness, a psychiatrist has claimed. Tony Jaffa, of the Phoenix Adolescent Eating Disorders Centre in Cambridge, reports that out of approximately 100 case referrals over the last two years, he has seen three teenagers for whom the trigger for anorexia appeared to be dental treatment.
A 12-year-old lost weight for nine months following a visit to the dentist at which she was advised to stop eating sweets between meals. “She did so but then progressed to not snacking between meals and reducing her meal portions,” Jaffa said.
A 16-year-old had experienced two years of eating problems since having a brace fitted to re-align her teeth. Her mouth was made sore by the brace, and her dentist also advised her to avoid sweet foods. “She probably never resumed a normal diet from this point…”, Jaffa said. “She reported knowing that she was underweight and yet continuing to feel ‘big’.”
Finally, Jaffa described the case of a 14-year-old who started eating soups and soft food after having a brace fitted. A friend told her she might lose weight when she had the brace fitted and the episode sparked a prolonged interest in weighing herself and a desire to become thinner. “She complained of feeling fat. She used the discomfort of the braces as an excuse not to eat,” Jaffa said.
All three cases had also experienced other stressors – for example, exams, the death of a pet, or low self-esteem – typical adolescent experiences which Jaffa said may also have played a contributory role.
The media and society’s obsession with the thin ideal is normally blamed for triggering anorexia in those at risk of the illness. But Jaffa said these cases showed “the professional community should be…more attentive to the range of factors which can cause weight loss and which therefore may be precipitants of anorexia nervosa in susceptible individuals.”
If the profile of this issue were raised, dentists might be encouraged to be more careful about when and how they give out dietary advice, Jaffa concluded.
___________________________________
Jaffa, T. (2007). Three cases illustrating the potential of dental treatment as a precipitant for weight loss leading to anorexia nervosa. European Eating Disorders Review, 15, 42-44.
Editor's note: remember, although these case reports may be suggestive of an association between dental treatment and anorexia in some people, such a link has not been demonstrated experimentally or epidemiologically.
Link to National Centre for Eating Disorders.
Post written by Christian Jarrett (@psych_writer) for the BPS Research Digest.
- Recovering Patients Describe Their Battles With An "anorexia Voice"
People with anorexia find comfort in their illness at first, but then it becomes over-powering and they end up battling for control of their own minds. That's according to Sarah Williams and Marie Reid, who conducted an online focus group and email...
- Anorexia, Insomnia, And Paranoia
The Machinist, a 2004 film directed by Brad Anderson, features the emaciated skeleton of Christian Bale as a haunted character named Trevor Reznik. He suffers from chronic insomnia ("haven't slept in a year" [which is impossible]), a cleanliness...
- The Insulta And Anorexia
graphic adapted from the New York Times Neurophilosophy points to a silly typo in a serious press release about a neuroimaging study in women who have recovered from anorexia nervosa: Sense of taste different in women with anorexia nervosa Imaging study...
- Perfectionism And Anorexia
Beauty, fashion, and anorexia... when are they NOT in the news? But in the past few weeks, just like a model's hip bones, they've been even more prominent than usual. Spain ban on skinny models shocks fashion world By Andrew Hay Tue Sep 12, 11:30...
- Bsci 105 For Psyc Majors - Anorexia Nervosa, Metabolism, & Osmosis
To support our students in BSIC 105 the Department has developed a series 5-10-minute supplemental videos exploring some of the topics you learn in BSCI 105 and how they are related to familiar (and interesting) psychological phenomena. In this...
Neuroscience
How a dentist visit can trigger anorexia
Dental treatment can, in rare cases, trigger anorexia nervosa in those susceptible to the illness, a psychiatrist has claimed. Tony Jaffa, of the Phoenix Adolescent Eating Disorders Centre in Cambridge, reports that out of approximately 100 case referrals over the last two years, he has seen three teenagers for whom the trigger for anorexia appeared to be dental treatment.A 12-year-old lost weight for nine months following a visit to the dentist at which she was advised to stop eating sweets between meals. “She did so but then progressed to not snacking between meals and reducing her meal portions,” Jaffa said.
A 16-year-old had experienced two years of eating problems since having a brace fitted to re-align her teeth. Her mouth was made sore by the brace, and her dentist also advised her to avoid sweet foods. “She probably never resumed a normal diet from this point…”, Jaffa said. “She reported knowing that she was underweight and yet continuing to feel ‘big’.”
Finally, Jaffa described the case of a 14-year-old who started eating soups and soft food after having a brace fitted. A friend told her she might lose weight when she had the brace fitted and the episode sparked a prolonged interest in weighing herself and a desire to become thinner. “She complained of feeling fat. She used the discomfort of the braces as an excuse not to eat,” Jaffa said.
All three cases had also experienced other stressors – for example, exams, the death of a pet, or low self-esteem – typical adolescent experiences which Jaffa said may also have played a contributory role.
The media and society’s obsession with the thin ideal is normally blamed for triggering anorexia in those at risk of the illness. But Jaffa said these cases showed “the professional community should be…more attentive to the range of factors which can cause weight loss and which therefore may be precipitants of anorexia nervosa in susceptible individuals.”
If the profile of this issue were raised, dentists might be encouraged to be more careful about when and how they give out dietary advice, Jaffa concluded.
___________________________________
Jaffa, T. (2007). Three cases illustrating the potential of dental treatment as a precipitant for weight loss leading to anorexia nervosa. European Eating Disorders Review, 15, 42-44.
Editor's note: remember, although these case reports may be suggestive of an association between dental treatment and anorexia in some people, such a link has not been demonstrated experimentally or epidemiologically.
Link to National Centre for Eating Disorders.
Post written by Christian Jarrett (@psych_writer) for the BPS Research Digest.
- Recovering Patients Describe Their Battles With An "anorexia Voice"
People with anorexia find comfort in their illness at first, but then it becomes over-powering and they end up battling for control of their own minds. That's according to Sarah Williams and Marie Reid, who conducted an online focus group and email...
- Anorexia, Insomnia, And Paranoia
The Machinist, a 2004 film directed by Brad Anderson, features the emaciated skeleton of Christian Bale as a haunted character named Trevor Reznik. He suffers from chronic insomnia ("haven't slept in a year" [which is impossible]), a cleanliness...
- The Insulta And Anorexia
graphic adapted from the New York Times Neurophilosophy points to a silly typo in a serious press release about a neuroimaging study in women who have recovered from anorexia nervosa: Sense of taste different in women with anorexia nervosa Imaging study...
- Perfectionism And Anorexia
Beauty, fashion, and anorexia... when are they NOT in the news? But in the past few weeks, just like a model's hip bones, they've been even more prominent than usual. Spain ban on skinny models shocks fashion world By Andrew Hay Tue Sep 12, 11:30...
- Bsci 105 For Psyc Majors - Anorexia Nervosa, Metabolism, & Osmosis
To support our students in BSIC 105 the Department has developed a series 5-10-minute supplemental videos exploring some of the topics you learn in BSCI 105 and how they are related to familiar (and interesting) psychological phenomena. In this...