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Published on: June 28, 2024
The risk for scurvy in children with neurodevelopmental disorders
Priya Kothari1, Anupama Tate2,3, Abimbola Adewumi4
1Kidsworld Pediatric Dentistry, Aurora, Ontario, Canada.
Insights
Scurvy, or vitamin C deficiency, still affects children, often presenting with dental issues. Early diagnosis by dentists can lead to rapid treatment and symptom improvement.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Medicine
- Nutritional Science
- Dental Medicine
Background:
- Scurvy (vitamin C deficiency) is often considered a historical disease but persists in children with medical/developmental conditions or restricted diets.
- Diagnosis can be difficult due to its perceived rarity and nonspecific symptoms like gingival disease.
Purpose of the Study:
- To highlight the continued occurrence of scurvy in children.
- To emphasize the role of dental complaints in scurvy diagnosis.
- To review recent literature on pediatric scurvy cases.
Main Methods:
- Presentation of two pediatric cases with scurvy initially presenting with dental complaints.
- Comprehensive literature review of scurvy case reports published in English within the last 10 years.
Main Results:
- Identified 77 relevant case reports since 2009, with most affected children having autism spectrum disorder or other developmental conditions.
- Intraoral symptoms, including gingival swelling, pain, and bleeding, were common.
- Oral symptoms resolved rapidly following vitamin C therapy.
Conclusions:
- Prompt diagnosis of scurvy is possible by recognizing classic signs and symptoms, avoiding unnecessary invasive procedures.
- Dentists are well-positioned to identify scurvy early, facilitating timely and effective treatment.
Background:
Scurvy, the disease resulting from vitamin C deficiency, is perceived as being rare and occurring predominantly in the past. However, scurvy continues to exist and may be encountered in children with medical/developmental conditions and/or restricted diet. Diagnosis can be challenging given the perceived rarity of the condition and nonspecific symptoms, including gingival disease.
Methods:
We present a series of two cases of scurvy in which the affected children presented to medical attention with dental complaints. Additional cases of scurvy are described, based on the literature review of case reports/series published in the last 10 years.
Results:
Literature review yielded 77 relevant case reports published in the English language since 2009. Most affected children had a previous diagnosis of a medical or developmental condition (especially autism spectrum disorder). Intraoral features (gingival swelling, pain, and bleeding) were noted in most of the identified cases of scurvy. Improvement in the oral features of scurvy occurred within days of vitamin C therapy initiation.
Conclusions:
Recognizing classic signs and symptoms of scurvy enables prompt diagnosis and avoids invasive investigations. Dentists may be in a unique position to facilitate prompt and accurate diagnosis of a condition that is relatively easy and safe to treat once identified.
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