Sammanfattning
Introduction and aim - It is well-known that early signs of an
eating disorder such as dental erosion and salivary gland hypertrophy
may be identified in the dental clinic. However, little
is known about the expectations by dentists and persons with
eating disorders, when meeting in the dental clinic, as well as
how patients with eating disorder experience this meeting in the
dental office. Thus, the aim of the study was to gain knowledge
about the meeting between dentist and patients with an eating
disorder.
Material and methods -The design was cross-sectional and
two independent questionnaires were given, one to dentists
and the other to persons with an eating disorder. In total 1,405
dentists and 260 persons with an eating disorder participated.
Results - Dentists had more knowledge about oral complications
of eating disorders than about eating disorders in general.
According to most dentists it was difficult to address eating disorders
in the clinic. However, the conversations were successful
in more than 50% of the cases. One third of the persons with
an eating disorder had experienced a helpful conversation with
their dentist, and about half of the persons with an eating disorder
wanted the dentist to address eating disorders in the clinic.
Conclusion - Persons with an eating disorder should be met
with concern and recognition. It is suggested that general
guidelines on the matter could be useful for dentists when addressing
eating disorders in a clinical setting.