A case of Tourette syndrome presenting with oral self‐injurious behaviour

Abstract

Self-injurious behaviour (SIB) is deliberate harm to the body without suicidal intent, and the condition occurs in a number of psychiatric, behavioural and developmental disorders. This case report describes a 4-year-old female with SIB who presented to a paediatric dentist after the self-extraction of teeth as a result of oral motor tics. The girl repetitively ground her teeth in a monophasic lateral motion that resulted in luxation of her maxillary right primary canine, and produced generalized oral and facial pain. The parents consulted the dentist about their child's complaint of toothache. The oral findings were unexcephonable except for a mobile primary canine, but there was a history of unusual behaviour including hyperactivity, and after multidisciplinary consultation and exclusion of other systemic diseases, the subject was diagnosed as suffering from Tourette syndrome (TS). Preventive treatment using a dental splint was provided. Noncontingent reinforcement therapy was successfully used to diminish the subject's SIB.