title: Subcutaneous emphysema secondary to dental treatment: case report.
abstract: Subcutaneous emphysema is a relatively rare complication of dental treatment, although increasingly due to the use of high pressure air instruments. Many cases go unrecognized or are misdiagnosed. Majority of patients with this complication resolve spontaneously after 5 to 10 days, however some can advance to potentially life-threatening complications. A case of subcutaneous emphysema during restorative procedure in a 52-year-old woman was treated in the Docent Odontological Clinic of the Frontera University is presented. The differential diagnosis and management of this condition is discussed. Our purpose is not to add one more case of emphysema to literature, but to show dentists that in simple restorative procedures using air pressure instruments, they could be exposed to this complication.
authors.affiliation: Cirujano-Dentista, Universidad de la Frontera, Chile. cvegap@gmail.com
authors.forename: Claudio Andrés
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Gamboa Vidal
authors.forename: Carlos Andrés
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Vega Pizarro
authors.forename: Andrés
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Almeida Arriagada
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D019647:Oral Surgical Procedures / Q000009:adverse effects*; D013352:Subcutaneous Emphysema / Q000209:etiology*