Subcutaneous Emphysema after a Dental Procedure
  • Daniela Brito
    Centro Hospitalar do Médio Tejo, Portugal
  • Catarina Medeiros
    Centro Hospitalar do Médio Tejo, Portugal
  • Lidia Caley
    Centro Hospitalar do Médio Tejo, Portugal

Keywords

Subcutaneous emphysema, mediastinal emphysema, iatrogenic disease

Abstract

Subcutaneous emphysema is the presence of air beneath the skin’s soft tissues. It can result from medical conditions, trauma or iatrogenic causes. The occurrence of subcutaneous emphysema after a dental procedure is rare. Although it is mostly a benign and self-limiting complication, the consequences may be severe and life-threatening. We report the case of a 20-year-old man who presented to the emergency department with swelling of his face and neck after dental treatment. The diagnosis of subcutaneous emphysema and pneumomediastinum was made based on physical examination and a computerized tomography scan.

VIEW THE ENTIRE ARTICLE

References

  • Gamboa-Vidal C, Vega-Pizarro C, Almeida-Arriagada A. Subcutaneous emphysema secondary to dental treatment. Med Oral Patol Oral Cir Bucal 2007;12:76–78.
  • Rad MV, Chan EKY, Ahmed IH. Cervicofacial subcutaneous emphysema and pneumomediastinum secondary to dental treatment in a young man. Respir Med Case Rep 2019 Jul 31;28:100918.
  • Mascarenhas RJ. Management of subcutaneous facial emphysema secondary to a class V dental restoration. Clin Case Rep 2019 May 1;7(5):1025–1030.
  • Frühauf J, Weinke R, Pilger U, Kerl H, Müllegger RR. Soft tissue cervicofacial emphysema after dental treatment: report of 2 cases with emphasis on the differential diagnosis of angioedema. Arch Dermatol Nov 2005;141(11):1437–1440.
  • Gomes I. Enfisema subcutâneo cervicofacial após dentisteria operatória: caso clínico. Rev Port Estomatol Med Dent Cir Maxilofac 2011 Jul;52(3):153–156.
  • Wong P, Palacios S, Kashtwari D. Managing subcutaneous emphysema following dental procedures. Decisions in Dentistry 2017;3(9):36, 39–41. Available from: https://decisionsindentistry.com/article/managing-subcutaneous-emphysema-following-dental-procedures/
  • Jeong CH, Yoon S, Chung SW, Kim JY, Park KH, Huh JK. Subcutaneous emphysema related to dental procedures. J Korean Assoc Oral Maxillofac Surg 2018;44(5):212–219.

    • Views: 570
    HTML downloads: 134
    PDF downloads: 587

    Published: 2022-02-07
    Issue: 2022: Vol 9 No 2 (view)

    How to cite:
    1.
    Brito D, Medeiros C, Caley L. Subcutaneous Emphysema after a Dental Procedure. EJCRIM 2022;9 doi:10.12890/2022_003153.