title: [Orthodontic silicone positioner for the treatment of oral symptoms in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) patients].
abstract: ALS is considered a neurodegenerative disorder caused by progressive death of specific neuronal populations within the gray matter of the central nervous system. The cause of cell death is unknown and patients with ALS will live 3 to 5 years from disease onset. A common cause of death is neuromuscular respiratory failure or cardiac arrhythmias due to insufficient oxygen. The patients develop multiple symptoms and the focus of management is to maintain their quality of life. Orofacial manifestations in ALS are secondary to motor deficits, resulting in dysphagia, muscle spasticity, rigidity and tremor of the orofacial musculature, which can induce soft tissue trauma and sialorrhea. In this report the management of ALS oral symptoms, by means of an elastic silicone full coverage occlusal splint, often used as an orthodontic positioner, is discussed, as well as its advantages and alternatives. The positioner was easily tolerated by the patients who reported improvement in soft tissue trauma lesions due to accidental self biting, and improved control of the drooling due to excessive saliva and difficulty in swallowing.
authors.affiliation: IDF Medical Corps, Rambam Health Care Campus and Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion, I.I.T, Haifa, Israel.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Yavnai
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Aizenbud
mesh_terms: D000690:Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis / Q000150:complications*; D003680:Deglutition Disorders / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D016382:Orthodontic Appliance Design; D009968:Orthodontic Appliances, Removable; D011788:Quality of Life; D012798:Sialorrhea / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D012828:Silicones / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D012828:Silicones