NYC Health + Hospitals/Lincoln Partners with Stonybrook University Hospital to Perform Lifesaving Oral Surgery on Pediatric Patient
Surgery restored the patient’s ability to smile and eat normally again
Aug 18, 2026
Bronx, NY – 16-year-old Ousman Ceesay came to Lincoln Hospital unable to open his jaw. His symptoms began over one year ago, and ever since he had been unable to eat solid foods, limited to liquids and pureed foods.
An evaluation by the Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery team at Lincoln Hospital, led by Dr. Robert Pellecchia, Chair of Dental Medicine, determined that Ceesay had a fusion of his jaw to his skull, which would require surgical intervention, including specific prosthetic temporomandibular joints that would replace his natural joints that were now fused to his skull. Complicating his care were the multiple medical comorbidities, including his underlying sickle cell disease, which warranted a sophisticated collaboration of medical and surgical services and perioperative management in a Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) to mitigate the risk of complications.
Dr. Pellecchia reached out to colleagues at Stony Brook University Hospital which has an appropriate PICU and the necessary multidisciplinary expertise to safely perform and manage this procedure. Last month, Ceesay underwent a successful surgery and following a short post-operative stay in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU), was discharged home a few days later. The intricate five-hour operation was led by Dr. Michael Proothi at Stony Brook University Hospital with a multidisciplinary team which included Lincoln Hospital’s oral and maxillofacial surgical residents. Dr. Pellecchia provided surgical guidance and support throughout the procedure.
Doctors expect that Ceesay will have a complete recovery with minimal long-term impact on his speech or eating capabilities.
“This surgery required extraordinary collaboration between Lincoln and Stonybrook Hospitals to preserve the patient’s long-term quality of life,” said Robert Pellecchia, MD, Chair of Dental Medicine at NYC Health + Hospitals/Lincoln. “Seeing Osuman awake, smiling, and recovering beautifully is the ultimate reward for our team. This success highlights our hospital’s commitment to taking on the most complex cases to provide high quality care to the residents of our community.”
“Stony Brook University Hospital provided an optimal environment for this young man to receive the care he needed,” said Allan Kucine, DDS, Associate Professor and Vice Chair of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at Stony Brook University School of Dental Medicine. “We look forward to future collaborations with the faculty of Lincoln Hospital as we continue to deliver outstanding patient care and unique educational experiences for residents.”
“We thank God for Dr. Pellecchia and the team at Lincoln Hospital,” said Mouhammed Ceesay, the patient’s father. “Seeing Osuman smile again is a miracle we will be grateful for every single day.”
NYC Health + Hospitals/Lincoln provides comprehensive dental care and oral & maxillofacial surgery using the latest diagnostic tests that are available. A wide array of dental services are available to patients, including routine preventive care for adults and children, prenatal dental care, regular checkups, cleanings (dental hygiene), fillings, extractions, dental emergency treatment, sealants (coatings to prevent cavities in children), baby bottle tooth decay prevention, dentures, crowns, caps, bridgework (prosthetic dentistry), root canal (endodontic therapy), gum treatment (periodontal care), dental care for HIV patients, and patient education. Call Lincoln Hospital for an appointment at 718-579-5690.
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MEDIA CONTACT: Natasha Burke, 929-837-9166; burken@nychhc.org
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About NYC Health + Hospitals/Lincoln
NYC Health + Hospitals/Lincoln, located in the South Bronx, is a 362-bed, Acute Care Level 1 Trauma Center and sees more than 168,000 emergency room visits and more than 600,000 outpatient visits annually. Clinical centers of excellence include: Emergency Medicine and Trauma Care; Breast Imaging; Designated Stroke Center, Diabetes Center and HIV/AIDS Center. Lincoln Hospital was the first Baby-Friendly designated hospital in the Bronx, providing clinical services and consultations for over 1,500 deliveries per year. The hospital emphasizes primary care and specialty medicine, using the latest advances in medical science. Lincoln is part of NYC Health + Hospitals, the largest public health care system in the nation. For more information visit www.nychealthandhospitals.org/lincoln or follow us on Instagram at www.Instagram.com/LincolnHospBX and Facebook at www.facebook.com/LincolnHosp.
About NYC Health + Hospitals
NYC Health + Hospitals is the largest municipal health care system in the nation serving more than a million New Yorkers annually in more than 70 patient care locations across the city’s five boroughs. A robust network of outpatient, neighborhood-based primary and specialty care centers anchors care coordination with the system’s trauma centers, nursing homes, post-acute care centers, home care agency, and MetroPlusHealth—all supported by 11 essential hospitals. Its diverse workforce of more than 46,000 employees is uniquely focused on empowering New Yorkers, without exception, to live the healthiest life possible. For more information, visit www.nychealthandhospitals.org and stay connected on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.