[Aerodontalgia. Report of a case]

Dental pains provoked by an altitude beyond 5.000 ft can occur with any kind of tooth, healthy or restored. It is considered as a consequence of a brutal pressure change. The incidence has not been decreasing in spite of flight conditions improvement. These kind of dental pain cause a problem for those who fly: civilian and military pilots as well as airlines passengers. The conditions in which this might happened are variable. There may be a definite correlation between the character of the symptoms of aerodontalgia and the underlying pulpal pathology. The proposed etiology concerning pathological teeth is an oedema and hyperthermia of the pulp which can lead to necrosis. In an indirect type dental pain is secondary to stimulation of the superior alveolar nerves by a maxillary barosinusitis, or anatomic malformation. The most frequent is a pain during ascent (decompression), and the most concerned teeth are upper molars. The preventive treatment is very important. Both complete clinical and radiological examinations must be achieved. Regular dental examination are-essential for the crew. Aerodontalgia can be largely prevented by high quality root and dental cares. The case of a 26 years old man who use to suffer for a long time of dental pain during flights is in accordance with the dominant clinical symptoms of this affection.