Prosthetic Rehabilitation of a Patient with Severe Early Childhood Caries: A Case Report

Abstract

Early Childhood Caries (ECC) continues to be one of the most common chronic diseases in children throughout the world, exerting a negative impact on quality of life. This condition can cause pain, infection, and tooth loss as well as problems with speaking, chewing, and nutrition. The aetiology of ECC is complex and involves socioeconomic, biological, and behavioural factors. Rehabilitation in very young patients is challenging due to difficulties inherent to the age of the child, which limits cooperation, the extent of tooth decay, and the motivation of family members, especially in patients with the early loss of primary teeth. Therefore, paediatric dentists need to plan and implement individualised approaches on a case-by-case basis. This paper reports a case of a three-year-old boy diagnosed with ECC involving extensive carious lesions, root remnants, and multiple abscesses. The treatment plan involved prosthetic rehabilitation with complete dentures. Regular check ups were important to the functional adaptations and proper hygiene counselling. The child adapted extremely well to the dentures. Improvements in appearance, speech, and chewing function enhanced the child’s self-confidence and assisted in establishing proper dietary patterns.

Keywords

• children
• dental caries
• dental prosthesis
• denture
• mouth rehabilitation