Michael Levine's Eating Disorders Prevention/Sociocultural Factors Newsletter
NO. 43: (i) Prevention (n = 2); (ii) New Book; (iii) DE, Pt. 5 (n = 2); (iv) Food Addiction (n = 3); and (v) Nature/Correlates of EDs, Pt. 2 (n = 2)
Colleagues (N now = 1201 in 48 countries),
Please (a) continue to send me any and all announcements (e.g., conferences, awards, webinars, prevention resources, your recent publications); and (b) pass along the following to anyone who would like to join this free email list.
PREVENTION ADVOCACY-IN-ACTION WEBINAR:
State-Level Eating Disorder Prevention and Surveillance: Current Initiatives and Ways to Take Action
Hosted by the Eating Disorder Public Health Surveillance Working Group (USA)
Thursday, July 18, 2024, at 12 p.m. Eastern | 9:00 a.m. Pacific | 4:00 p.m. UTC
Received 26 June 2024 via an everything-is-advocacy email from a member of the Eating Disorder Public Health Surveillance Working Group, our own prevention/advocacy expert Dr. Ariel Beccia (USA) of the Strategic Initiative for the Prevention of Eating Disorders (STRIPED) at Harvard University’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
WEBINAR: State-Level Eating Disorder Prevention and Surveillance: Current Initiatives and Ways to Take Action
The Eating Disorder Public Health Surveillance Working Group will be hosting a webinar on July 18th at 12pm EST focused on current issues related to state-level eating disorder prevention and surveillance. Presenters, including eating disorder researchers and public health professionals, will discuss the current landscape of eating disorder prevention and surveillance, and highlight key ways for individuals and groups to take action in their state, with an emphasis on enhanced data collection via the CDC’s Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS).
You can find additional details and registration information here!
FREE RECOVERY/SUPPORT COMMUNITY WEBINAR
Reasons Eating Disorders Center presents
Embracing Tangibility in Recovery: Exploring Everyday Tools for Your Journey
with Ms. Rae Thomas, LPC (USA)
Thursday, July 18, 2024, at 5:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. Pacific | 8:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m. Eastern | 3:30 a.m. - 4:30 a.m. Friday, July 19, UTC
Received via a 21 June 2024 email from the Reasons Eating Disorder Center. Our own Dr. Nikki Rollo, Ph.D., LMFT, CEDS-S is Reasons’ Executive Director.
Free Community Webinar: Embracing Tangibility in Recovery: Exploring Everyday Tools for Your Journey
Reasons is thrilled to offer this complimentary webinar for individuals on the recovery journey, their families and support networks, care professionals, and anyone interested in learning more about supporting mental health. Please join our guest speaker, Rae Thomas, Licensed Professional Counselor, as she shares her expertise and knowledge on the topic of “Embracing Tangibility in Recovery: Exploring Everyday Tools for Your Journey."
The recovery journey can often feel complex, making the path forward seem unclear. This webinar will focus on using tangible and experiential tools to provide a hands-on approach to personal growth and resilience. Join us to gain the knowledge and skills needed to integrate these powerful tools into your recovery journey, empowering you to navigate the path with clarity and confidence.
Objectives:
· Understand the benefits of using hands-on and experiential tools in recovery.
· Develop the skills to effectively incorporate these tools into your personal growth and resilience practices.
· Gain the confidence to navigate your recovery journey with clarity using these powerful methods
Date: Thursday, July 18, 2024
Time: 5:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. Pacific | 8:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m. | 3:30 a.m. - 4:30 a.m. Friday, July 19, UTC
CE credits: None
Brief bio: Rae Thomas, LPC is a private practice clinician in Denver, CO specializing in Eating Disorders, Weight Stigma, and Body Image. She is also the Chief Clinical Officer of Feelings Found, a women-owned company creating tangible tools for emotional exploration. She enjoys long hikes in the mountains and tending to her many house plants.
Research Publication Categories in This Newsletter
(i) Prevention (n = 2); (ii) New Book; (iii) Disordered Eating, Part 5 (n = 2); (iv) Food Addiction (n = 3); and (v) Nature/Correlates of Eating Disorders, Part 2 (n = 2)
CONGRATULATIONS to our own
Drs. Long Khanh-Dao Le (Australia) and Phillipa Hay (Australia) and colleagues, including distinguished health economist Dr. Cathrine Mihalopoulos (Australia), for publication of the Prevention research article in #2.
Dr. Jinbo He (Hong Kong/China) and Mr. Wesley Barnhart (USA) for publication of the Disordered Eating commentary article in #5.
Dr. David Wiss (USA) and colleague for publication of the Food Addiction Review article in #6.
Drs. Kendrin Sonneville (USA) and Ashley Gearhardt (USA) and colleagues for publication of the Food Addiction treatment manual described in #7.
Drs. Tyler Mason (USA) and Kathryn Smith (USA) and colleagues for publication of the Food Addiction research article in #8.
Prevention
ML NOTE 1: The lead author of the article described below in #1, Dr. Sarah Kate Bearman(USA) is a Kenyon alum . . . . just sayin’ . . . .
1. Bearman, S. K., Rohde, P., Pauling, S., Gau, J., Shaw, H., & Stice, E. (2024). Predictors of the sustainability for an evidence-based eating disorder prevention program delivered by college peer educators. Implementation Science, 19, 47. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13012-024-01373-9
Full text available for download at: https://implementationscience.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13012-024-01373-9#citeas
ABSTRACT. Background: Despite ongoing efforts to introduce evidence-based interventions (EBIs) into mental health care settings, little research has focused on the sustainability of EBIs in these settings. College campuses are a natural place to intervene with young adults who are at high risk for mental health disorders, including eating disorders. The current study tested the effect of three levels of implementation support on the sustainability of an evidence-based group eating disorder prevention program, the Body Project, delivered by peer educators. We also tested whether intervention, contextual, or implementation process factors predicted sustainability.
Methods: We recruited 63 colleges with peer educator programs and randomly assigned them to (a) receive a 2-day Train-the-Trainer (TTT) training in which peer educators were trained to implement the Body Project and supervisors were taught how to train future peer educators (TTT), (b) TTT training plus a technical assistance (TA) workshop (TTT + TA), or (c) TTT plus the TA workshop and quality assurance (QA) consultations over 1-year (TTT + TA + QA).
We tested whether implementation support strategies, perceived characteristics of the intervention and attitudes towards evidence-based interventions at baseline and the proportion of completed implementation activities during the implementation year predicted three school-level dichotomous sustainability outcomes (offering Body Project groups, training peer educators, training supervisors) over the subsequent two-year sustainability period using logistic regression models.
Results: Implementation support strategies did not significantly predict any sustainability outcomes, although a trend suggested that colleges randomized to the TTT + TA + QA strategy were more likely to train new supervisors (OR = 5.46, 95% CI [0.89–33.38]). Colleges that completed a greater proportion of implementation activities were more likely to offer Body Project groups (OR = 1.53, 95% CI [1.19–1.98]) and train new peer educators during the sustainability phase (OR = 1.39, 95% CI [1.10–1.74]). Perceived positive characteristics of the Body Project predicted training new peer educators (OR = 18.42, 95% CI [1.48–299.66]), which may be critical for sustainability in routine settings with high provider turnover.
Conclusion: Helping schools complete more implementation activities and increasing the perceived positive characteristics of a prevention program may result in greater sustainment of prevention program implementation. Trial Registration: This study was preregistered on 12/07/17 with ClinicalTrials.gov, ID NCT03409809, https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03409809.
ML NOTE 2: In regard to the article described below in #2, here is how I summarized the Healthy Weight Intervention (HWI) in a brief chapter published in 2017:
For their RCTs of The Body Project, Stice developed a healthy weight intervention (HWI) to function as a placebo-control alongside an assessment-only condition . . . . As a form of selective-indicated prevention, the HWI uses psychoeducation, motivational interviewing, and principles of behavior modification to promote the modest but sustained changes in knowledge, attitudes, and behavior that enable a balanced diet, regular exercise, and achievement of a weight that is healthy for that individual to replace restrictive dieting and over- or binge eating.
Source: Levine, M. P. (2017). The current status of eating disorder prevention research. In T. D. Wade (Ed.), Encyclopedia of feeding and eating disorders (6 pp.). Springer Science and Business Media. DOI: 0.1007/978-981-287-087-2_145-1
2. Le, L. K.-D., Tan, E. J., Hay, P., Ananthapavan, J., Lee, Y. Y., & Mihalopoulos, C. (2024). The modeled cost-effectiveness of a prevention program targeting both eating disorders and high BMI. International Journal of Eating Disorders. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1002/eat.24238
Full text available for download at: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/eat.2423
ABSTRACT. Objective: Prevention programs for eating disorders (EDs) and high body index mass (BMI) have the potential to reduce the onset of these interconnected public health concerns. However, it remains unclear whether routine implementation of such programs would be cost-effective. This study aims to determine the cost-effectiveness of an intervention that aims to prevent both ED and high BMI.
Method: A Markov model was developed to evaluate the incremental cost-effectiveness of a targeted school-based program, Healthy Weight, that aims to prevent both EDs and high BMI among Australian adolescents with body image concerns (aged 15–18 years), versus a “no intervention” comparator. A cost-utility analysis was conducted from a “healthcare and education” sector perspective with costs (measured in 2019 Australian dollars) and health impacts modeled over the lifetime of the target population. An incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER), expressed as cost per health-adjusted life year (HALY) gained, was calculated. Sensitivity analyses were done to test model assumptions.
Result: The mean intervention cost and HALYs gained were AUD$2.13 million (95% CI, AUD$1.83–2.43 million) and 146 (95% CI, 90–209), respectively. With healthcare cost-savings (AUD$3.97 million) included, the intervention was predicted to be cost-saving (AUD$1.83 million; 95% CI, AUD$0.51–3.21 million). Primary findings were robust to extensive sensitivity analyses. Discussion: The Healthy Weight intervention is likely to represent good value-for-money. To ensure the successful implementation of this program at the population level, further research on its feasibility and acceptability among schools and the wider community is required.
And CONGRATULATIONS (!) are also in order for a
NEW BOOK
The Body Confidence Book: Respect, Accept and Empower Yourself
by [our own] Dr. Phillippa Diedrichs (England)
Quarto Publishing (20 June 2024)
ML NOTE 3: In regard to the New Book described below in #3 and as per the Substack Newsletter of 7 July 2024 (NO. 42), Listen to Appearance Matters Podcast podcast episode #89 (~41.5 min) at TheBCBook. In this podcast our own Dr. Nadia Craddock (England) discusses the book with her colleague Dr. Diedrichs. To learn more about Professor Phillippa Diedrichs, go to Dr. Diedrichs.
3. Diedrichs, P. (2024). The body confidence book: Respect, accept and empower yourself. Quarto Publishing. (160 pages; EAN/UPC 9780711279056)
Book website: https://tinyurl.com/4wsz9jfz
Description at Website: In this groundbreaking book for teens, research psychologist Professor Phillippa Diedrichs empowers us to respect our bodies and disrupt the harmful societal pressures we experience every day.
By age 15, 60% of us lack body confidence. It’s now seen as normal to grow up feeling unhappy with our bodies. But it doesn’t have to be this way. From filtered faces and dangerous body expectations on social media, to the pressures put on us by friends and family, our bodies have been through enough. The time is now to rally against these outdated ideals and create communities that celebrate the diversity of our bodies.
Through science and storytelling, Professor Diedrichs breaks down key topics such as toxic social media content, the value of diverse role models, health and body image and expressing yourself through your looks. Providing you with the information, positivity and encouragement to accept and respect yourself, this book will give you the power to challenge appearance stereotypes and feel at home in your body.
The Body Confidence Book is not only empowering and inspiring, it is practical. At the end of every chapter, there are simple tasks to help you put into practice the topics covered, including body appreciation mirror exercises and curating your social media feed.
Illustrated in a bold and inclusive style by Naomi Wilkinson, this is the book you need to help you be body confident and make the world around you more accepting of everyone, regardless of who they are or how they look. Because every body is beautiful and every body deserves to be respected.
Disordered Eating, Part 5 of (now) 5
4. Kalantzis, M. A., & Braden, A. L. (2024). Examining indirect and direct effects of risk and resilience on the relation between perceived discrimination and eating disorder symptoms in ethnic minority American women. Psychological Reports. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1177/00332941241256884
Email address for correspondence: makalan@bgsu.edu
ABSTRACT. Direct relationships between perceived discrimination and eating pathology in ethnic minorities are well-documented. However, theoretical work examining unique risk and resilience factors that strengthen or weaken the relation between these constructs in ethnic minorities is lacking. The current study aims to address this gap by incorporating stress-process and tripartite frameworks to examine social and personal resources as they relate to perceived discrimination and eating pathology.
In a sample of Black, Asian, and Latine women (N = 296, Mage = 30.82), social support did not mediate the relationship between perceived discrimination and eating pathology. A significant interaction effect was observed for thin-ideal internalization strengthening the relation between perceived discrimination and negative emotional eating. Thin-ideal internalization moderated the relation between perceived discrimination and negative emotional eating in Latine Women, and disordered eating in Black Women. Overall, findings suggest ethnic minority Women have both personal and social resources that may influence the strength of effect on the relation between perceived discrimination on eating pathology.
ML NOTE 4: The article described below is a commentary on the following article, as presented in the Substack Newsletter (NO. 13) of 7 April 2024 (#5). Drs. Jason Lavender (USA), Lauren Fowler (USA), Ellen Fitzsimmons-Craft (USA), and Denise Wilfley (USA) are all members of this Group.
Monocello, L. T., Lavender, J. M., Fowler, L. A., Fitzsimmons-Craft, E. E., & Wilfley, D. E. (2024). A cultural models approach to understanding body fatness perceptions and disordered eating in young South Korean men. International Journal of Eating Disorders. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1002/eat.24200 [Email address for correspondence: monocello@wustl.edu]
5. He, J., & Barnhart, W. R. (2024). A call for more culture‐based research to understand body dissatisfaction and disordered eating in men: Commentary on Monocello et al. (2024). International Journal of Eating Disorders. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1002/eat.24249
Email address for correspondence: hejinbo@cuhk.edu.cn
ABSTRACT. Using culture-based approaches, Monocello et al. revealed that young Korean men generally shared the same perceptions of fatness, including three categories (“too thin,” “balanced,” and “too fat”). The “balanced” category was most consistent with local South Korean culture, and the “too fat” category was associated with higher body dissatisfaction and disordered eating. Even though cultural differences in body ideals are an essential factor to consider in the development of body dissatisfaction and disordered eating, little research has applied culture-based approaches to explore body ideals in men, including how these ideals may be related to men's body image or eating behaviors.
Thus, Monocello et al.'s work is a timely and vital contribution to the literature. In this commentary, we expand on Monocello et al.'s work by not only illustrating the roles of local cultures but also introducing the potential influences of external cultures via acculturation in shaping body ideals which, in turn, contribute to body dissatisfaction and disordered eating in men. We also provide future research directions to call for more culture-based research to understand body dissatisfaction and disordered eating among men in different cultural contexts.
Food Addiction
6. Wiss, D. A., & LaFata, E. M. (2024). Ultra-processed foods and mental health: Where do eating disorders fit into the puzzle? Nutrients, 16(12), 1955. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu16121955.
Full text available for download at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11206753/
ABSTRACT. Ultra-processed foods (UPFs) like pastries, packaged snacks, fast foods, and sweetened beverages have become dominant in the modern food supply and are strongly associated with numerous public health concerns. While the physical health consequences of UPF intake have been well documented (e.g., increased risks of cardiometabolic conditions), less empirical discussion has emphasized the mental health consequences of chronic UPF consumption. Notably, the unique characteristics of UPFs (e.g., artificially high levels of reinforcing ingredients) influence biological processes (e.g., dopamine signaling) in a manner that may contribute to poorer psychological functioning for some individuals.
Importantly, gold-standard behavioral lifestyle interventions and treatments specifically for disordered eating do not acknowledge the direct role that UPFs may play in sensitizing reward-related neural functioning, disrupting metabolic responses, and motivating subsequent UPF cravings and intake. The lack of consideration for the influences of UPFs on mental health is particularly problematic given the growing scientific support for the addictive properties of these foods and the utility of ultra-processed food addiction (UPFA) as a novel clinical phenotype endorsed by 14–20% of individuals across international samples.
The overarching aim of the present review is to summarize the science of how UPFs may affect mental health, emphasizing contributing biological mechanisms. Specifically, the authors will (1) describe how corporate-sponsored research and financial agendas have contributed to contention and debate about the role of UPFs in health; (2) define UPFs and their nutritional characteristics; (3) review observed associations between UPF intake and mental health conditions, especially with depression; (4) outline the evidence for UPFA; and (5) describe nuanced treatment considerations for comorbid UPFA and eating disorders.
7. O’Hea, E. L., Edwards-Hampton, S. A., Beall Brown, D. L., Sonneville, K. R., Ziedonis, D. M., & Gearhardt, A. N. (2024). The Food Addiction Clinical Treatment (FACT) Manual: A harm reduction treatment approach. Behavioral Sciences, 14, 557. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs14070557
Full text available for download at: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-328X/14/7/557
ABSTRACT. While the construct of food addiction has been controversial, there is growing evidence that certain foods can activate biobehavioral and neurological mechanisms consistent with addiction to other substances. Despite increased evidence and acceptance of certain foods as addictive substance amongst the scientific community, there is a paucity of interventions available that are uniquely suited for the treatment of this condition. Further, many of the addiction and disordered eating treatment models currently utilized for food addiction are seemingly at odds, with the former often recommending complete abstinence from trigger foods and the latter promoting intake of all foods in moderation.
The Food Addiction Clinical Treatment (FACT) manual was created as an alternative using an empirically supported harm-reduction model specifically targeted to treat the addiction and disordered eating features of food addiction. The purpose of the current article is to expose readers to the key tenets of the FACT manual, demonstrate the feasibility of this intervention with a sample of participants with severe food addiction, and discuss future directions for the treatment of food addiction. Positive outcomes from this intervention provide preliminary evidence for the efficacy of FACT for the treatment of food addiction with minimal negative adverse effects. Future research using randomized control trials and longer follow-up is needed to validate the FACT manual as an empirically supported treatment for food addiction.
8. Varnado, A., Smith, A., Mason, T. B., & Smith, K. E. (2024). The ecological validity of the Yale Food Addiction Scale 2.0 and momentary food addiction symptoms. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1037/adb0001014
Email address for correspondence: kathryn.smith@med.usc.edu
ABSTRACT. Objective: This study assessed the ecological validity of the Yale Food Addiction Scale (YFAS 2.0) with ecological momentary assessment (EMA) and explored the internal consistency and convergent validity of a momentary food addiction scale.
Method: Adults (N = 49) who met criteria for binge-eating disorder and/or food addiction (age = 34.9 ± 12.1 years; 77.1% cisgender female; 55.1% non-Hispanic White) completed online questionnaires and a 10-day EMA protocol. Analyses examined (a) associations between the YFAS 2.0 and EMA-measured variables corresponding to food addiction criteria, (b) reliability of a momentary food addiction scale (EMA-FA), and (c) concurrent associations between EMA-FA and EMA-measured negative affect, impulsivity, eating expectancies, body satisfaction, consumption of palatable food, and taste response to palatable food.
Results: YFAS scores were associated with EMA-reported variables corresponding to food addiction criteria (ps < .045). The multilevel reliability for EMA-FA was adequate (ω = .75–.94). Individuals with higher EMA-FA scores reported greater negative affect, impulsivity, appetite, palatable food consumption, taste response to palatable food, and contrary to expectations, greater body satisfaction (ps < .01). Within-person effects emerged for EMA-FA predicting higher negative affect, impulsivity, likelihood of palatable food consumption, more pleasurable taste responses after consuming palatable foods, yet lower body satisfaction, appetite, and eating expectancies (ps < .01).
Conclusions: Results support the ecological validity of the YFAS 2.0, and additional evidence of convergent validity and internal consistency was demonstrated for a momentary food addiction scale. This assessment of the psychometric properties of the YFAS will ultimately further its utility and relevance in the study and diagnosis of food addiction.
Impact Statement: By examining the ecological validity of the Yale Food Addiction Scale (YFAS 2.0), this study contributes to the growing body of literature on food addiction, a condition that has been linked to binge eating, psychosocial impairment, as well as obesity, a continually rising public health problem (Gearhardt et al., 2011, 2012). This topic is especially important given that obesity and dysregulated eating behaviors such as binge eating disproportionately affect those with food insecurity and individuals of lower socioeconomic status (Christensen et al., 2021).
Further, by evaluating the psychometric properties of YFAS 2.0, this study provided further support for the YFAS 2.0 to be used more broadly in clinical settings to detect symptoms of food addiction in these disadvantaged populations. Finally, this study recruited a diverse sample, and we were able to explore eating behaviors that are prevalent in racial minorities and women, both subsets of people that persistently experienced social disadvantage, discrimination, and health disparities.
Nature, Course, and Correlates of Eating Disorders, Part 2 of 6
9. Gagliardini, G., Pandolfi, G., & Colli, A. (2024). Attachment, mentalization, emotion dysregulation, and empathy in eating disorders: Comparing anorexic and bulimic patients. Journal of Nervous and Mental Diseases, 212(7), 370-377. https://doi.org/ 10.1097/NMD.0000000000001781.
Email address for correspondence: giulia.gagliardini@uniurb.it
ABSTRACT. Eating disorders (EDs) represent a wide range of clinical symptoms related to food intake, body image, and weight issues, and include anorexia nervosa-restricting type (AN-R), anorexia nervosa-binge-purge type (AN-BP), and bulimia nervosa (BN). The aim was to investigate the characteristics of attachment, mentalization, emotion dysregulation, and empathy in a sample of 102 patients with EDs. A sample of 102 patients and therapists completed a series of measures for the assessment of ED pathology, mentalization, empathy, and emotion dysregulation. Pearson correlations and analysis of variance were used to test the characteristics of the variables among the groups.
In relation to attachment and emotion dysregulation, no significant differences were found. In relation to mentalization, significant difference in good mentalization was found in AN-R subtype compared with the BN subtype. In relation to empathy, results showed significantly lower scores in BN subtype on affective empathy compared with the AN-BP subtype, and in AN-R subtype on cognitive empathy. Finally, we used Z -scores for each item ranked by value (higher to lower) to develop different clinical prototypes for each group. Our results point toward the clinical need to address the assessed variables, specifically mentalization, emotion dysregulation, and empathy, in the diagnosis and treatment of EDs.
10. Valeriani, L., Frigerio, F., Piciocchi, C., Piana, G., Montevecchi, M., Donini, L. M., & Mocini, E. (2024). Oro-dental manifestations of eating disorders: A systematic review. Journal of Eating Disorders, 12, 87. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40337-024-01050-8
Full text available for download at: https://jeatdisord.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s40337-024-01050-8#citeas
ABSTRACT. Background: Eating disorders (EDs) pose a significant risk to health, especially when not diagnosed early. For several years EDs and oral health has been extensively studied, and now it is quite clear the existence of a correlation between specific oral manifestations and these disorders. While these oral signs could potentially aid early diagnosis of EDs, their identification and the eventual establishment of a correlation is currently heavily limited to the clinician’s experience. The present systematic review critically examines existing literature, offering an updated overview of oro-dental manifestations associated with EDs.
Method: MEDLINE (via PubMed), Web of Science, Scopus, and grey literature were searched, and relevant epidemiological comparative studies were screened using the Rayyan software. No limitations have been imposed on the research regarding oro-dental outcomes, encompassing all medically diagnosed EDs. The quality of the studies was valuated using AXIS appraisal tool for cross-sectional studies.
Result: Out of 3990 studies, 32 fulfilled the eligibility criteria and were included in the synthesis. The identified eating disorders include Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa and/or Eating Disorders Not Otherwise Specified, predominantly among female subjects, primarily originating from Europe. The evaluated oro-dental outcomes include dental erosion, caries, saliva assessment, hygiene-periodontal parameters, and mucosal tissue appearance. The association with erosion is confirmed while gingival recession, dentinal hypersensitivity, salivary flow thresholds and aspects relating to oral pathology are receiving increasing support from emerging evidence. Discussion: This trend emphasizes the critical role of the complete intraoral examination to detect significant oro-dental signs that may indicate the onset of an ED.
Plain English summary: The article is a review of existing studies that explores the link between eating disorders and oral health issues. It found that people with eating disorders, including anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa, may experience dental problems such as tooth erosion, cavities, and altered saliva production. The review findings emphasize the importance of dental care providers recognizing these signs early and suggests better training for dental professionals. By doing so, they can help diagnose eating disorders sooner and recommend appropriate treatment.
This approach aims to improve patients’ overall wellbeing by addressing both the oral health issues and the underlying eating disorders, making it essential for patients and medical teams to be aware of the interconnectedness between oral health and eating disorders.