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Received Sep 7, 2017; Accepted Nov 21, 2017
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1. Introduction
Nowadays, especially among women, there is a constant concern with body weight, which is a central issue present in different social segments. This behavior has obtained special support from the media that constantly shows individuals with images of ideal thinness based on processes such as the adherence of women to constant and stubborn search for a body shape considered beautiful [1].
The etiology explaining the genesis and maintenance of eating disorders is multifactorial, involving biological, social, and psychological factors, and the key factor is the distorted self-perception and dissatisfaction with physical appearance [2, 3].
Anorexia nervosa (AN) is the third most common chronic disease among adolescents, and bulimia nervosa (BN) affects over 1% of female adolescents [4]. These two types of eating disorders affect mainly adolescent and young adult women [1, 3]. These eating disorders demonstrate harmful effects on oral health [5–7]. The main manifestations are dental erosion, which is the most often condition associated with eating disorders [5, 8, 9], especially when there is purge habits [5, 6] and caries lesions.
The early diagnosis of eating disorders is important not only due to psychological and somatic complications, but also due to damage to oral health, since they are the only complications that cannot be reversed [8, 10]. The dentist is a professional with potential to suspect about this probable diagnosis based on oral signals and symptoms and can perform the correct multiprofessional referral [5].
Therefore, a theoretical background on eating disorders and...