Riga-Fede disease: a review of the literature and a description of clinical cases

Abstract

Relevance. Riga-Fede disease (RFD) is a rare pathology that develops as a result of trauma to the mucous membrane of the tongue ventral surface with sharp edges of natal, neonatal or primary teeth erupting in time and manifests in the form of erosion or sublingual fibrous lesion with an ulcerated surface.Purpose. To analyze the literature and present our own RFD clinical cases.Material and methods. A search was performed of articles published in 2001-2023 on the research topic in the main scientific literature databases (PubMed, E-library, Google Scholar, etc.). We analyzed the data from 68 publications and presented three of our own clinical cases of RFD in children aged 5, 6 and 9 months.Results. Analysis of literature data revealed different approaches to the diagnosis and treatment of RFD in children. The diagnosis of RFD should rely on the clinical picture and exclude additional trauma to children by histological examination and lesion excision. Pronounced tooth mobility, ineffective infant feeding and the presence of neurological diseases in patients were the main indications for the extraction of teeth, which caused RFD development. In the absence of tooth mobility, non-surgical treatment methods should be preferable. In the presented clinical cases, erupted primary teeth caused BRF. In two cases, the treatment consisted of smoothing the sharp edges of the teeth and restoration with glass ionomer cement; in one case, a child with a neurological disease experienced extraction of lower central incisors. In all cases, recovery was within 3-4 weeks.Conclusion. Once clinically diagnosed with RFD, treatment method choice should consider tooth mobility and the child's overall health.