title: An unusual accident during a primary molar extraction.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Special care must be taken during surgical procedures in children, especially primary tooth extractions. However, despite dentist's effort to perform tooth removal carefully, some accidents may be unavoidable when defective instruments are unknowingly used.
  
  
  METHODS
  This article presents a case of a pediatric dental elevator fracture during a primary mandibular right second molar extraction.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although uncommon, instruments breakage may occur during dental and surgical procedures. Therefore, dentists should always check the surgical instrument for signs of breakage and be prepared to solve a possible emergency.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Dentistry and Orthodontics, School of Dentistry, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
authors.forename: Viviane Santos da Silva
authors.initials: VS
authors.lastname: Pierro
authors.forename: Andrea Pereira
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: de Morais
authors.forename: Luciana
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Granado
authors.forename: Lucianne Cople
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Maia
mesh_terms: D000059:Accidents; D002648:Child; D004868:Equipment Failure; D005547:Foreign Bodies / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008963:Molar / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D014081:Tooth Extraction / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000295:instrumentation*; D014092:Tooth Root / Q000473:pathology; D014094:Tooth, Deciduous / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*