Pica: Dental findings of an uncommon eating disorder in two clinical case reports

Abstract

Aim: In this paper, we report two cases of patients diagnosed with pica, an uncommon eating disorder, and the dentistry implications of this psychiatric disorder. Background: Pica is a psychiatric disorder characterized by persistent ingestion of nonnutritive and/or nonfood substances. Dental implications caused by this condition depend on the substance ingested and the patterns of chewing; however, it is rare in the literature descriptions of dental complications of pica disorder. Cases Report: (1) Patient, female, with pica and borderline personality disorder was referred to treatment at the dental service of a psychiatric institute. The patient presented tooth fractures and mucosal lesions. The treatment included dentin tooth sensitivity control, control of traumatic lesions in mucosa, and composite restorations. (2) Patient, female, with pica and bulimia nervosa, referred pain in the temporomandibular joint. The case discusses the value of anamnésis and a proper clinical examination. Conclusions: Through the case reports we concluded that the dentists should be aware of the oral manifestations of this disease. Clinical Significance: The performance of the dental team is of great value to the diagnosis of pica and fundamental during their treatment and rehabilitation.

Desgaste dentário erosivo associado a síndrome de Pica: relato de caso clínico

“…Seu nome é derivado do latim e refere-se a uma ave com comportamento raro caracterizado por não diferenciar nutrientes de objetos não nutritivos (Advani et al, 2014;Singh & Patwardhan, 2015). A SP caracteriza-se como transtorno alimentar que ocorre por um período mínimo de 1 mês em pacientes acima de 2 anos de idade, em que o paciente fica suscetível a ingerir substâncias não comestíveis e não nutritivas, como argila, pedra e tijolo de construção civil (Souza et al, 2018). A SP está associada a fatores culturais, sociais e geralmente tem sido identificado em gestantes, porém é prevalente em indivíduos que possuem transtornos psicológicos (Getachew et al, 2021).…”