Jaw surgery to allow 12-year-old Northern Cape boy to ’enjoy food just like the rest of us’.
WHAT could be much better than being able to open your mouth, bite into a delicious burger, or chew on a tasty snack, and then wash it all down with a cold, soft drink?
Biting and chewing is something we all take for granted; after all, that is how we were made to eat and ultimately survive. But for some, being able to open their mouths and eat is not a possibility. Due to circumstances, it has become a problem that they have had to live with for many years. Until now, that is.
KM is a 12-year-old boy from the Northern Cape. Ten years ago, when he was just two, he was involved in a motor vehicle accident. In that accident, a part of KM’s jaw was fractured and as a result, he developed a condition called temporomandibular joint (TMJ) ankylosis. This rare condition renders the affected person unable to open their mouth due to trauma.
Ankylosis of the temporomandibular joint is a pathological condition in which the lower jaw is fused with the fossa (part of the joint located at the base of the skull) by bony or fibrotic tissues. This interferes with chewing, speech, oral hygiene and normal daily life activities and can be potentially life-threatening if emergency medical personnel need to gain access to an airway in an emergency.
Since the injury occurred when he was so young, KM’s jawbones suffered restricted growth, meaning that he was unable to open his mouth at all. This means that he could not consume a normal diet, being unable to eat foods normally or drink from a glass or a cup, and this resulted in malnutrition.
KM’s mother said that from three years of age, he could not open his mouth and that he struggled to eat.
“We had to force food into his mouth from the side with a spoon or he would push it into his mouth with his fingers,” she said.
“We decided to take KM to the doctors in 2021 and that is when Dr Irshaad Abdoola, who is a maxillofacial and oral surgeon, decided to operate on KM to remove the area of bony ankylosis and design a new surface of the jaw from the existing residual bone.”
She told the DFA that if they waited any longer to do the operation, the boy’s mouth would have been permanently shut and KM would have to have been fed through a tube.
According to Dr Abdoola, the four-hour operation was a great success.
“Prior to the operation, KM could not open his mouth at all, but now he can open his mouth a full 3cm, so he will be able to enjoy food just like the rest of us,” he said.
KM’s mother said that she is extremely grateful to Dr Abdoola for performing the operation.
“You know, when you hear what they want to do, it is very scary, but thankfully all went well, and this is going to have a life-changing effect on KM and my family,” she said.
According to the mother, when KM is all healed up and at home, she is going to buy him a saucy hamburger and just watch as he enjoys opening his mouth and eating on his own for the first time.
Dr Abdoola for his part thanked KM’s mother for being by his side and supporting him all the way through the treatment.
KM is currently recovering at Lenmed Royal Hospital and Heart Centre in Kimberley, probably dreaming of the saucy hamburger awaiting him in the near future.
