Multidisciplinary Approach for Dental Management of Congenital Insensitivity to Pain with Anhidrosis: Clinical Case Report with 12-Month Follow-Up
<b>Background:</b> Congenital Insensitivity to Pain and Anhidrosis (CIPA) is a rare autosomal recessive disorder characterized by congenital analgesia, anhidrosis, and multisystem involvement affecting the musculoskeletal, cutaneous, oral, and para-oral structures. This case report describes the oral phenotype and multidisciplinary clinical management of a child with CIPA. <b>Case Description:</b> A 9-year-old boy presented with poor oral hygiene, multiple severely damaged teeth, masticatory difficulty, limited mouth opening, impaired bolus control, and para-oral traumatic injuries. Medical and orthopedic history indicated recurrent painless fractures, self-inflicted injuries, cutaneous scarring, and recurrent hyperpyrexia. Oral self-injury associated with CIPA was suspected and supported by the Nociception Assessment Test and Minor's Iodine-Starch Test. Although the clinical findings were suggestive of CIPA, the diagnosis remained presumptive due to the absence of confirmatory molecular or histopathological testing. <b>Management:</b> A wearable wireless continuous temperature-monitoring device was prescribed to assist in tracking hyperpyrexia associated with CIPA (RHA-CIPA). A conservative, staged, multidisciplinary treatment was planned rather than full-mouth extraction, emphasizing prevention of dental sepsis and mitigation of future self-injury. Dental procedures were performed under local anesthesia to manage discomfort related to tactile hyperesthesia. To reduce nocturnal biting and oral trauma, a hard acrylic occlusal protector was fabricated using an intraoral scanner and a 3D-printed cast. The patient was followed for 12 months. <b>Outcomes:</b> At the 12-month follow-up, clinical improvement was observed, with particularly notable gains in cheek elasticity and soft tissue resilience. <b>Conclusions:</b> This case highlights the considerable challenges involved in the interdisciplinary management of children with CIPA, including oral self-injury prevention, limited mouth opening, and the necessity of close coordination with medical specialties. These findings are descriptive observations of a single case and do not establish efficacy or generalizability of any intervention.
Authors
- Hatem A. Alhadainy (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0390-418X)
- Khaled A. Saad
- Almoataz B. A. T. Abdel-bari
- Mohamed Fawzy
Institutions
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (US)
- Tanta University (EG)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Dentistry Journal
- Published
- 2026-01-20
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.3390/dj14010068
- Primary Topic
- Hereditary Neurological Disorders
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00