This article was sent to me via our friends at the AGD (Academy of General Dentistry), discussing the problems of cravings during pregnancy. Here is a snippet from that article:
Pregnant women may often make ice cream runs to calm their cravings as they wait for their baby’s arrival. Other women suffering from an eating disorder called pica, will have cravings for ice, freezer frost, or even soil.
Pica combined with bulimia can have adverse effects on an individual’s oral health during pregnancy and also can be hard to diagnose and treat during those nine months, according to a study published in the May/June 2006 issue of General Dentistry, the Academy of General Dentistry’s (AGD) clinical, peer-reviewed journal.
Pica, usually a secretive behavior, is a compulsive eating disorder in which sufferers have a constant appetite for non-nutritious substances. Bulimia is a condition in which patients overeat and then purge due to a fear of gaining weight. While the conditions’ association and cause during pregnancy are not known, many suggest cultural and physiological factors are to blame. Others believe depression or iron and zinc deficiencies during pregnancy could be a factor.
You can read the rest of the article by clicking here:
Take care all
Hans.
Hans Skariah, B.Sc., DMD
Promenade Court Dental Health Group
2233 Hurontario St., Mississauga, ON, Canada (in the Dome Building)
(905) 273-7100
