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This article presents the oral situation of 11 anorectic and 41 bulimic patients and compares it with 50 healthy control persons. Although patients with an eating disorder showed less signs of gingival inflammation (sulcus‐bleeding index (SBI): anorexia = 14.6%; bulimia = 12.5%; controls = 44.7%), they had clearly more enamel erosions than did healthy control persons. In 27 of 41 bulimic patients, a bilateral swelling of the parotid gland was found. A significant correlation between the parotid enlargement and enamel erosion exists in bulimic patients with a history of anorexia nervosa. Patients with an eating disorder had higher levels of serum amylase than did healthy control persons. A significant correlation between serum amylase activity and dental characteristics was found in bulimic patients.

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Vitamin status of 24 bulimic and 8 anorectic patients was determined. Intake of vitamins A, E, C, B1, B2, B6, B12, and folic acid is clearly reduced. Save vitamin C contrentration, which is reduced in several patients, all vitamin plasma values lie in the reference range. Great variability in the vitamin plasma concentrations was observed. Four patients had very high, almost toxic, retinol concentrations. The activation of erythrocytic transketolase, glutathione reductase, and aspartate transketolase is enhanced in a few patients. A plausible cause is a lack of vitamin B1, B2, and B6. Five patients have a prolonged prothrombin time, perhaps resulting from a vitamin K deficiency. All these results show that the vitamin status of bulimic and anorectic patients should be controlled regularly in order to prevent severe vitamin deficiencies or intoxications.