THE USE OF BOTULINUM TOXIN AS AN ALTERNATIVE TREATMENT OF HEMIFACIAL SPASM: CLINICAL CASE

• DOI: https://doi.org/10.22533/at.ed.1594352409045

• Palavras-chave: Hemifacial spasm. Botulinum toxin and dentistry. Botulinum toxin type A.

• Keywords: Hemifacial spasm. Botulinum toxin and dentistry. Botulinum toxin type A.

• Abstract:

  The use of botulinum toxin has been widely increased within the dental scenario, not only as a softener for hyperkinetic lines and other aesthetic purposes, but also as a therapeutic adjuvant. Dysfunctions with the ability to cause involuntary muscle contractions, such as hemifacial spasm, require injections of botulinum toxin type A (TXB-A) as a form of transient treatment, since the ability to denervate muscle fibers through the inhibition of acetylcholine-A uptake in the Synaptic cleft is the main characteristic and mechanism of action of botulinum toxin. Several studies have already been conducted to verify the feasibility of TXB-A functionality in the treatment of hemifacial spasm, most of which present excellent results with an improvement rate of an average of 70% of cases. Side effects are rare and reversible and do not represent much weight when compared to the benefits of the treatment. There are still doubts regarding the protocol for applying botulinum toxin, however, it is known that for a better result such applications must be bilateral, that is, they must also be done on the half of the face that is healthy (not affected by spasms).