Eating Disorders
$20.00
Access to course expires 1 year following purchase. Please make sure you complete prior to expiry.
Eating disorders represent a serious, life threatening illness affecting a disproportionate number of females, often arising during early adolescence. Adolescence is a time for a search for individuality, purpose and independence, when identification with peer groups becomes increasingly important. Constant media bombardment with images of ultimate thinness has pushed dieting into the realm of socially acceptable behaviour. The etiology of eating disorders is however, more complex, involving an intricate interplay among biological, psychological and social issues (biopsychosocial model) and possible genetic predispositions.
While food appears to be the central issue, it is really the characterization of food-related problems that become an outlet for the expression of a variety of more serious underlying issues. The result becomes a problematic coping strategy. Dieting quickly becomes a measure of self-esteem giving the individual a sense of personal control resulting in an ongoing obsession with weight loss, food and exercise. This change in focus perpetuates the illness with potentially severe consequences. The mind develops a distorted or even delusional thought process around body image, perceiving oneself as continually being too fat. Psychopathology quickly translates into a physiopathology defining a particular subtype of eating disorder.
Dental practices will include patients dealing with an eating disorder. Patients may appear healthy, despite struggling internally with this illness often becoming very secretive in their contacts with any health care professional because of the self-denial, shame and guilt associated with the illness. Oral manifestations of eating disorders impair oral function, cause pain and lead to a deterioration of esthetics and quality of life.
It is important for dental professionals to become familiar in recognizing the oral signs and symptoms of eating disorders and show empathy and support for these patients. Dentistry can play a significant collaborative role in the early diagnosis, support, and long-term management of this disease.
Speaker Biography
David B. Clark Bsc.,DDS,MSc(Oral Pathology), FAAOP, FRCDC
Dr. Clark was Clinic Director, Dental Services at Ontario Shores Centre for Mental Health Sciences in Whitby, Ontario from 1988-2017 and is an Associate in Clinical Dentistry, Department of Oral Medicine, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Toronto.
He obtained his DDS at the University of Toronto in 1976 and his MSc. in Oral Pathology at the University of Western Ontario in 1986 and is a Fellow of the Royal College of Dentists of Canada, the Pierre Fauchard Academy and Academy of Dentistry International. He received the Award of Distinction for his dedication and contributions to the field of Continuing Dental Education in 2015, awarded by the Academy of Dentistry International.
His hospital-based practice was devoted primarily to the general dental care of individuals undergoing primary care for various forms of psychiatric illness often co-existing with other medically compromising conditions.
He participates in the teaching of the undergraduate dental curriculum relating to the topics of Oral Medicine and Oral Diagnosis at the Faculty of Dentistry, University of Toronto. He is also a part-time clinical instructor (Dental Hygiene, Year 2) at Durham College, Oshawa, Ontario and George Brown College, Toronto, Ontario.
He has lectured internationally since 2005 on the subjects of psychiatric illness and its impact on the individual and dental management considerations; oral care and the geriatric patient; and a review of clinical oral pathology.
Description
Access to course expires 1 year following purchase. Please make sure you complete prior to expiry.
Eating disorders represent a serious, life threatening illness affecting a disproportionate number of females, often arising during early adolescence. Adolescence is a time for a search for individuality, purpose and independence, when identification with peer groups becomes increasingly important. Constant media bombardment with images of ultimate thinness has pushed dieting into the realm of socially acceptable behaviour. The etiology of eating disorders is however, more complex, involving an intricate interplay among biological, psychological and social issues (biopsychosocial model) and possible genetic predispositions.
While food appears to be the central issue, it is really the characterization of food-related problems that become an outlet for the expression of a variety of more serious underlying issues. The result becomes a problematic coping strategy. Dieting quickly becomes a measure of self-esteem giving the individual a sense of personal control resulting in an ongoing obsession with weight loss, food and exercise. This change in focus perpetuates the illness with potentially severe consequences. The mind develops a distorted or even delusional thought process around body image, perceiving oneself as continually being too fat. Psychopathology quickly translates into a physiopathology defining a particular subtype of eating disorder.
Dental practices will include patients dealing with an eating disorder. Patients may appear healthy, despite struggling internally with this illness often becoming very secretive in their contacts with any health care professional because of the self-denial, shame and guilt associated with the illness. Oral manifestations of eating disorders impair oral function, cause pain and lead to a deterioration of esthetics and quality of life.
It is important for dental professionals to become familiar in recognizing the oral signs and symptoms of eating disorders and show empathy and support for these patients. Dentistry can play a significant collaborative role in the early diagnosis, support, and long-term management of this disease.
Speaker Biography
David B. Clark Bsc.,DDS,MSc(Oral Pathology), FAAOP, FRCDC
Dr. Clark was Clinic Director, Dental Services at Ontario Shores Centre for Mental Health Sciences in Whitby, Ontario from 1988-2017 and is an Associate in Clinical Dentistry, Department of Oral Medicine, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Toronto.
He obtained his DDS at the University of Toronto in 1976 and his MSc. in Oral Pathology at the University of Western Ontario in 1986 and is a Fellow of the Royal College of Dentists of Canada, the Pierre Fauchard Academy and Academy of Dentistry International. He received the Award of Distinction for his dedication and contributions to the field of Continuing Dental Education in 2015, awarded by the Academy of Dentistry International.
His hospital-based practice was devoted primarily to the general dental care of individuals undergoing primary care for various forms of psychiatric illness often co-existing with other medically compromising conditions.
He participates in the teaching of the undergraduate dental curriculum relating to the topics of Oral Medicine and Oral Diagnosis at the Faculty of Dentistry, University of Toronto. He is also a part-time clinical instructor (Dental Hygiene, Year 2) at Durham College, Oshawa, Ontario and George Brown College, Toronto, Ontario.
He has lectured internationally since 2005 on the subjects of psychiatric illness and its impact on the individual and dental management considerations; oral care and the geriatric patient; and a review of clinical oral pathology.
