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[Foreign body of dental origin: How to retrieve the dentist's drill?]
1Service de pneumologie et oncologie thoracique, hôpital Nord, CHU de Saint-Étienne, 42000 Saint-Étienne, France.
Introduction:
Inhalation of foreign bodies is an unusual complication of dental care. When it occurs immediately during the intervention, it is generally a dental tool, such as the little screwdrivers used for dental implant procedures.
Case Report:
A 59-year-old man was referred to our hospital for asymptomatic inhalation of a small drill during dental surgery. Because the drill had a barbed tip, prompt removal was indicated. The foreign body was localized in a sub-segmental division of the left lower lobe (B10b) and could be removed via a flexible bronchoscope under a short general anesthetic without intubation. There was no significant injury of the bronchial mucosa.
Conclusion:
Inhalation of foreign bodies during dental interventions is unusual and sometimes asymptomatic but their removal is always indicated. In some cases, the removal can be performed with a flexible bronchoscope.