A devitalized tooth as a complication of septorhinoplasty

Complications of septorhinoplasty often involve adjacent structures, resulting in cosmetic as well as functional abnormalities. Dental complications of nasal surgery are rare. We describe a patient who underwent septorhinoplasty with a postoperative complication of a devitalized tooth. To our knowledge, this is the first report of such a dental complication. Bony manipulation in the region of the nasal spine may have resulted in the interruption of the neurovascular supply to the right central incisor, yielding a devitalized tooth. An aberrant vascular supply, or root apex situated high in the premaxilla, can predispose to dental injury while performing bony manipulation near the nasal spine. Preoperative evaluation of patients who are at risk for dental complications may allow the surgeon to safely achieve the functional and cosmetic goals of septorhinoplasty.