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.