PICA- A Menace for Oral Health

The pica is a symptom, not a disease, which is manifested by persistent and compulsive eating of non-nutritious substances like soil, clay, chalk, stone, brick, paper, soap and fecal matter or edible ice (pagophagia), starch (amilofagia). The most common forms of pica are geophagia or mud/soil eating and then pagophagia or consumption of ice. Similar to other symptoms in medicine, such as fever and anemia, pica is a multi-symptom, being iron deficiency and zinc deficiency. In some types of pica, may cause obstruction and damage the digestive tract. Its etiology is unknown but in case of children most likely due to ignorance on the part of the health, or with some mental illness, or lack of time with parents. Prolong and undiagnosed pica may have adverse effect on oral health as well. The cause of tooth wear should be considered when patients present with an unusual pattern of tooth surface loss.