Australian dental journal
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Australian dental journal · Mar 2017
Case ReportsSubcutaneous emphysema secondary to dental extraction: A case report.
Although less frequently encountered in dental practices, subcutaneous emphysema of the face and neck has been reported in patients following dental extractions, particularly when lower molar teeth are extracted with the use of a high-speed air-turbine drill designed for restorative treatment, which forces air into the cervical fascial spaces. As facial swelling and pain are the most common presentations, subcutaneous emphysema can often be misdiagnosed as an allergic reaction or odontogenic infection. While usually a benign and self-limiting condition, subcutaneous emphysema may have life-threatening complications such as tension pneumothorax, cardiac tamponade, air embolism, tracheal compression and mediastinitis, which are important to recognize in an emergency setting. Dentists should be aware of the serious risks of inducing subcutaneous emphysema and avoid performing tooth extractions with high-speed air-turbine drills which are specifically designed for use for restorative treatments only.
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Australian dental journal · Mar 2017
Case ReportsGingival granulomatosis with polyangiitis (Wegener's granulomatosis) as a primary manifestation of the disease.
Granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA) is a potentially lethal disease characterized by systemic necrotizing vasculitis, which affects small- and medium-sized blood vessels and is often associated with serum cytoplasmic antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody. The upper and lower respiratory tract and kidney are the most involved sites, but oral lesions can be identified in 6-13% of the cases, whereas in only 2% of the cases, oral manifestations represent the first signal of the disease usually as gingival swellings or unspecific ulcerations. ⋯ In this report we describe an original case of GPA affecting a 75-year-old female patient referred to our service due to a gingival swelling with 3-month duration. Although the patient was correctly diagnosed and promptly treated, she died 3 months after the initial diagnosis.