Management of a Child with Reactive Attachment Disorder in the Dental Clinical Setting: A Case Report / Manejo de un niño con trastorno de apego reactivo en el entorno clínico dental: Reporte de un caso

ABSTRACT Reactive attachment disorder (RAD) is an early childhood mental health disease characterized by impaired social interactions and communication abilities, and neurological deficits in the child's developing brain. This disorder can significantly affect the pediatric patient's behavior in the dental setting. An uncooperative 9-year- old Mexican girl, who was residing in a temporary home, was referred by a general dental practitioner to the Postgraduate Pediatric Dental Clinic with her caretaker, requesting dental examination and treatment. The patient presented with a previous diagnosis of RAD with intellectual/social disability. With the psychiatrist's guidance, an exhaustive oral prophylaxis was carried out in the initial appointments, followed by diverse restorative treatments under the continuous application of behavioral management techniques. These restorative procedures included resin restorations and pit-fissure sealants, under local anesthesia and rubber-dam isolation, on the first four permanent molars. The entire treatment was completed in six weeks. The patient and her caretaker were provided with detailed educational and motivational strategies for improving the patient´s oral hygiene, and they also received nutritional advice. For control reviews and the reinforcement of preventive habits, future appointments were carefully scheduled. An interdisciplinary pediatric collaboration between the dentist, nurse, and psychiatrist was fundamental for improving the patient's oral health and general welfare.

RESUMEN: El trastorno de apego reactivo (RAD, por sus siglas en inglés) es una enfermedad de salud mental en la primera infancia caracterizada por interacciones sociales y capacidades de comunicación deterioradas y por déficits neurológicos en el cerebro en desarrollo del niño. Este trastorno puede afectar significativamente el comportamiento del paciente pediátrico en el entorno dental. Una niña mexicana de 9 años de edad, poco cooperadora, que residía en un hogar temporal, fue remitida a la Clínica de Odontología Pediátrica con su cuidadora, solicitando un examen y tratamiento dental. La paciente presentó un diagnóstico previo de RAD con discapacidad intelectual/ social. Con la orientación del Psiquiatra, se llevó a cabo una profilaxis oral exhaustiva en las citas iniciales, seguidas de diversos tratamientos de restauración bajo la aplicación continua de técnicas de manejo del comportamiento. Estos procedimientos de restauración incluyeron restauraciones de resina y selladores de fosas y fisuras, bajo anestesia local y aislamiento con dique de goma, en los primeros cuatro molares permanentes. Todo el tratamiento se completó en seis semanas. La paciente y su cuidadora recibieron estrategias educativas y motivacionales detalladas para mejorar la higiene oral y también recibieron asesoría nutricional. Para las revisiones de control y refuerzo de los hábitos preventivos, las citas posteriores se programaron cuidadosamente. Una colaboración pediátrica interdisciplinaria entre el dentista, la enfermera y el psiquiatra fue fundamental para mejorar la salud oral y el bienestar general del paciente.

Local Ketamine Improves Postoperative Analgesia After Third Molar Surgery.

PURPOSE: Evidence exists to support the peripheral analgesic effect of local administration of ketamine (LAK) after third molar surgery. The aim of the present systematic review and meta-analysis was to determine the efficacy of LAK in the control of pain, swelling, and trismus after third molar surgery. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study design was a systematic review with a meta-analysis of the effect of LAK after third molar surgery. A search in electronic databases was performed from September 2017 to February 2019. Only prospective clinical trials and randomized controlled trials that had evaluated LAK after third molar surgery were included. The meta-analysis was based on the random effects model. The outcome measures evaluated were postoperative acute pain, swelling, and trismus. The estimated overall effect size was a standardized mean difference (SMD). RESULTS: A total of 110 study subjects (men and women aged 18 to 50 years) were evaluated for the analgesic effect. The SMD showed a significant analgesic effect (postoperative pain control) favoring LAK (SMD, -1.7403; 95% confidence interval [CI], -2.45 to -1.04). Evaluation of the anti-inflammatory effect of LAK included 105 study subjects and resulted in significantly less swelling in the first postoperative day (SMD, -0.6169; 95% CI, -1.1654 to -0.0683). However, LAK did not reduce the incidence of trismus after third molar surgery (SMD, -0.7241; 95% CI, -2.2765 to 0.8284). CONCLUSIONS: The use of LAK can reduce the incidence and severity of postoperative pain after third molar surgery and had an anti-inflammatory effect, although only in the first postoperative day. However, LAK had no effect on trismus reduction after third molar surgery.

Autism and Paediatric Dentistry: A Scoping Review.

PURPOSE: The objectives of this scoping review were: first, to pose a research question; second, to identify relevant studies to answer the research question; third, to select and retrieve the studies; fourth, to chart the critical data; and finally, to collate, summarise, and report the results from selected articles on the dental management of children affected with autism. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Relevant articles (randomised controlled trials, reviews, observational studies, and clinical case reports) published over an 11-year period were identified and retrieved from five internet databases: PubMed, Embase/Ovid, Cochrane Library, Google Scholar, and EBSCO. RESULTS: By title and abstract screening and after removing duplicates, 25 articles were finally included in the present scoping review. According to the extracted data, the following four clinical issues were found to be most important: patient behavioural control, prevalence/incidence of dental caries, adverse effects and interactions with medications, and orthodontic management. Additionally, several useful clinical recommendations are provided. CONCLUSIONS: Paediatric dentists should bear in mind that early diagnosis and treatment, effective communication skills, and a long-term follow-up of children with autism continue to be the best approaches for achieving enhanced patient psychological well-being and consequently a better quality of life.