A Healing Touch for Cerebral Palsy Patient in Dental Clinic

Patients with cerebral palsy, a persistent, nonprogressive brain condition, may experience seizures, joint contractions, mental and motor deficits, and sensory impairments of vision and hearing. This inherent neuromuscular problem affects oral health significantly imparting orofacial abnormalities and difficulty in maintaining oral hygiene leading to dental caries. In such cases, most of the teeth are pulpally involved and are routinely extracted under general anesthesia. Approach to endodontic treatment is less. Due to the scarcity of the literature mentioning about endodontic treatment of cerebral palsy patients under local anesthesia in a dental clinic or hospital, this case report describes the case of young male patient affected with cerebral palsy treated endodontically successfully under local anesthesia. More adaptive and accommodating methods, as well as specific knowledge and skills, are needed when providing oral care for people with special needs. Clinicians can achieve satisfactory results, rendering psychological benefit to such patients by opting the endodontic procedure approach.