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Nail biting, also known as onychophagy or onychophagia, is an oral compulsive habit of biting one's fingernails. It is sometimes described as a parafunctional activity, the common use of the mouth for an activity other than speaking, eating, or drinking. Nail biting is very common, especially amongst children, of which 25–35 percent bite nails.
Biting your nails is no picnic for your teeth, either. "Constant biting can lead to poor dental occlusion," says Richard Scher, M.D., an expert in nail disorders, "so the biter's teeth shift out ...
Blisters in particular can cause a feeling of desire to pull or bite off the affected skin and nails (since the skin is dead, thus easily pulled off), which could be detrimental, causing infection. Another disorder, known as excoriation disorder, the repetitive action of uncontrollably picking at one's skin, can sometimes accompany dermatophagia.
Fingernail-biting that develops into fingernail-eating is a form of pica. Other forms of pica include dermatophagia, [7] and compulsion of eating one's own hair, which can form a hairball in the stomach. Left untreated, this can cause death due to excessive hair buildup. [8]
Onychophagia, or nail biting, is a pretty common habit, affecting an estimated 20 to 30 percent of the population.
The overall health of your nails can reflect your eating habits, says Destini Moody, RDN, a registered dietitian with Top Nutrition Coaching. “In fact, dietitians who work in clinical settings ...
Similar behavior has been observed in laboratory rats in experiments looking at spinal cord and peripheral nerve injuries. The resulting behavior consists of the rats licking and then chewing their nails, and the tips of their toes. In extreme cases, the rats will chew off whole toes or even the foot. [10]
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