The 29th Congress of the International Association of Paediatric Dentistry, Maastricht, Hollanda, 14 - 17 Haziran 2023, cilt.33, sa.9607439, ss.197
Introduction: Oral self- induced trauma is commonly associated with a variety of neurological disease and traumatic brain injuries. The most common form of self- mutilation in head and neck region is biting of the oral structures. This case report describes the management of self- induced tongue trauma in a child who suffered severe brain damage due to a near- drowning incident.
Case report: A 30- month- old boy who was hospitalized at intensive care unit due to the hypoxic brain damage after a near- drowning accident was consulted to the pedodontics department with the presenting symptom of self- induced tongue trauma. He had involuntary contractions on muscles so the tongue was clenched between teeth and traumatized. Initially, conservative treatment with cus-tom made occlusal splints was planned but the splint was removed 3 days later since the tongue was still clenched between the splints. Second appliance was a monoblock and used for 15 days. At 2 weeks follow- up, two of the lower incisors were lost and the remaining anterior teeth were mobile. Finally, all mobile teeth were extracted and the tongue healed completely.
Discussion: Current literature illustrates several treat-ment options in the management of self- mutilation cases. Intraoral devices can be used to maintain separation be-tween the teeth and oral tissue without causing further damage to the mouth. In severe cases, surgery can be uti-lized to prevent chronic injury.Conclusion: There is no standard treatment protocol for management of self- induced oral injuries. Although conservative management is often the first choice in self- mutilation cases, more aggressive treatments may be more effective in some cases.