232 TEETH REMOVED FROM BOY’S MOUTH

The 17-year-old Buldhana boy, who suffered from a rare condition, now has 28 teeth after undergoing a surgery at J J Hospital.


Teen has 232 teeth removed

Now this is really a mouthful. Doctors at J J Hospital found 232 teeth in a 17-year-old boy's mouth, which were removed in a surgery that lasted more than six hours. The hospital's dental department has decided to forward the case to the Guinness World Record for most number of teeth extracted from an individual's mouth.

The boy, Ashiq Gavai, resides in a village in Buldhana district in Amravati region. Around a year-and-a-half ago, his family noticed a swelling in the right side of his lower jaw, but the local doctors couldn't identify the problem.

Around a month ago, he complained of severe pain and his family feared he suffered from cancer, the boy's father, Suresh Gavai, said.

"I was worried that it may turn out to be cancer so I brought him to Mumbai," Gavai said, adding the surgery, conducted on Monday, was covered under the state government's health insurance scheme for the poor, Rajiv Gandhi Jeevdayi Arogya Yojana (RGJAY), which would have otherwise cost him around Rs 40,000 in a private hospital.

Arare medical condition, composite odontoma, has only been known to affect the upper jaw of the patients. "According to medical literature available on this condition, the condition has been known to be found in the upper jaw and a maximum of 25 teeth have been extracted from the tumour. But in Ashiq's case, the tumour was deep in the lower jaw and we removed more than 232 teeth," said Dr Sunanda Dhiware, head of the dental unit at J.J. Hospital.

The operation

Ashiq was diagnosed with a condition called composite odontoma or a benign tumour of the tooth, which can cause difficulties in eating, swallowing, and lead to a grotesque swelling of the face, though it is not life-threatening.

"The condition has been known to affect the upper jaw and a maximum of 25 teeth have been extracted from the tumour. But in Ashiq's case, the tumour was found deep in the lower jaw and we removed more than 232 teeth," Dr Sunanda Dhiware, head of the J J Dental Department, said.

Ateam of two main surgeons and two assisting surgeons performed an intra-oral procedure as they tried to remove every bit of the tumour. "While a few teeth were loose, others were in clumps which made it difficult to count. The tumour was an abnormal growth of the second molar which did not come out. It was also pressing on the wisdom tooth which we had to remove," Dhiware said.

Calling the case to be a medical wonder, doctors said the boy now has a normal set of 28 teeth, and they will insert tooth caps to replace the removed teeth once he completely recovers.

One of the surgeons, Dr Vandana Thorawade, said that the doctors were worked that the tumour would have broken the boy's jaw. "We had the jaw plates and screws ready in case of emergency. But miraculously, his jaw was intact. Had he waited for longer, there were chances that his jaw bone would have been damaged," Thorawade said.

She added that though this procedure was to control cosmetic damages, there were chances the condition could reoccur. "Though we tried our best to remove every bit of teeth, there may have been some residual left. In that case, there are chances of those growing back. We have told the family that regular check-ups and investigation are a must," Thorawade said.

No comments:

Powered by Blogger.