Treatment of Riga-Fede disease using laser therapy: clinical case report

ABSTRACT Neonatal teeth arise in the oral cavity in up to 30 days of life. Early eruption of teeth associated with dental trauma on the ventral surface of the tongue during breastfeeding may lead to a set of signs and symptoms called the Riga-Fede lesion, which manifests as a chronic ulceration on the ventral surface of the tongue. Establishing the treatment plan is a challenging task. The pediatric dentist and pediatrician, should act in promoting health and recovery of the baby with the disease, taking care not to neglect the weight loss in newborns. The aim of this study was to demonstrate the clinical implications of a Riga-Fede lesion and treatment approach using laser therapy. A 43-day-old child was referred to pediatric dentistry, presenting weight loss and a congenital lingual injury caused by a neonatal tooth. The treatment, after radiographic examination was extraction of tooth 71, topical application of Triacinolone acetonide and laser therapy. Laser therapy has been shown to be a possible treatment option for Riga-Fede lesions, reducing the healing time to four days, allowing the return to feeding and improvement in the pain symptoms from the first day of application.

摘要：诞生牙（neonatal teeth）可在新生儿出生后30天内于口腔内萌出。母乳喂养期间，早萌牙齿可引发舌腹面的牙齿创伤，进而导致一组被称为里加-费德病损（Riga-Fede lesion）的体征与症状，其临床表现为舌腹面慢性溃疡。制定该病症的治疗方案颇具挑战。儿童牙医与儿科医师应致力于促进患病婴儿的健康恢复，同时需警惕新生儿体重下降的问题。本研究旨在阐明里加-费德病损的临床意义，并展示激光治疗的应用方案。本次研究对象为一名43日龄的婴儿，因诞生牙引发先天性舌损伤并出现体重下降，被转诊至儿童牙科。经影像学检查后，治疗方案为拔除71号牙、局部应用曲安奈德（Triacinolone acetonide）以及激光治疗。研究结果显示，激光治疗可作为里加-费德病损的可选治疗方案，将愈合时长缩短至4天，且自治疗首日起即可恢复喂养并缓解疼痛症状。