Behavioral regression in 2 patients with autism spectrum disorder and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder after oral surgery performed with a general anesthetic.

BACKGROUND AND OVERVIEW: Routine dental care for people with autism spectrum disorders can be complex. There is little published on postoperative behavioral changes associated with use of general anesthetics in this population. CASE DESCRIPTION: The authors describe postoperative behavioral changes in 2 patients with autism spectrum disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder that the patients' caretakers described as regression. In both cases, behaviors representative of autism spectrum disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder worsened after uncomplicated oral surgery after receipt of a general anesthetic in the operating room. In both cases, behavioral changes caused great difficulties for the patients and caretakers and were difficult to address. CONCLUSIONS AND PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: With little in the scientific literature, these 2 cases have a great importance for the dental care practitioner. Awareness must be raised so that further investigation can occur regarding this phenomenon.

A method for direct fabrication of a lingual splint for management of pediatric mandibular fractures.

SUMMARY: Pediatric mandibular fractures have successfully been managed in various ways. The use of a lingual splint is one such option. The typical indirect method for acrylic lingual splint fabrication involves obtaining dental impressions. Dental models are produced from those impressions so that model surgery may be performed. The splint is then made on those models using resin powder and liquid monomer in a wet laboratory and transferred to the patient. Obvious limitations to this technique exist for both patient and operator. We present a technique for direct, intraoperative, fabrication of a splint using commercially available light-cured material that avoids some of the shortcomings of the indirect method. Recommendations are made based on available material safety information.

Thrombosed cavernous hemangioma arising in cervical ectopic thymus tissue: a case report.

We report the case of a 35-year-old male presenting with a steadily growing, painful left-cervical neck mass. Final histopathologic diagnosis was consistent with a thrombosed cavernous hemangioma arising in cervical ectopic thymus tissue. This is the first description, to our knowledge, of such an entity.