Dental Treatment in a Patient with Ataxia-telangiectasia

Abstract

Ataxia-telangiectasia (AT) is an autosomal recessive disorder primarily characterized by telangiectasia, immunodeficiency and an increased risk of malignancies. It is necessary to consider the use of radiation due to DNA repair disorder and to pay attention to respiratory infection in case of dental treatment. We report the dental treatments of a patient with AT under intravenous sedation.

The patient was an 18-year-old male with AT. Dental caries were found when he initially visited our dental clinic. We scheduled dental treatment under intravenous sedation because of intellectual disability and involuntary movements. Thereafter, we recommended regular check-ups every three months. However, he returned to our dental office for the first time in one year and eight months due to forgetting his appointments and poor physical condition. This period without our management was enough time to cause secondary caries and so we scheduled second dental treatment. We needed to consult with his family doctor in advance due to the limitations of X-rays and the dose of antibiotics after dental treatment for this AT patient who had undergone immunoglobulin therapy. No symptoms such as infectious disease or cancer have been observed since dental treatment was finished.

Dental treatment for patients with AT must be planned while taking into consideration the limitations of X-rays, involuntary movements and immunodeficiency. Even after treatment, long-term discontinuation should be avoided as much as possible. Regular check-ups are necessary so that treatment can be minimally invasive.