Successfully Treated Riga-Fede Disease.

Abstract

Riga-Fede disease (RFD) is a benign lingual ulceration caused by repetitive trauma. It was described initially by Riga in 1881 and by Fede in 1890. It is usually caused by the sharp edges of newly erupted teeth. Therefore, the disease is usually seen in infants and may result in malnutrition and lack of weight gain due to the difficulty in breastfeeding the baby. RFD can also occur as a result of teething in childhood. The disease can be incorrectly diagnosed as malignancy [1]. For this reason it is important to diagnose the disease correctly, to avoid radical treatment. For treatment, destruction of the trauma source is targeted. Here we report a 9-year-old boy with chronic lingual ulceration diagnosed as RFD based on clinical features. RFD is usually caused by recurrent dental trauma effects of natal or neonatal teeth within the first month after birth. However, it has been reported that the disease can be seen in childhood as well, just as it was in our patient. Because of its macroscopic and microscopic features, many lesions are confused with RFD. Differential diagnosis includes squamous cell carcinoma, ulcerative candidiasis, fungal and bacterial infection, primary syphilis, tuberculosis, lymphoma, sarcoma, and agranulocytosis. Thus it is important to diagnose the disease and prescribe the correct treatment.