Dental needle foreign body in the neck: a case report

Abstract

Foreign body (FB) ingestion is commonly seen in the ear nose and throat (ENT) field, with different presentations and sequelae. FBs can arrest in the upper aerodigestive tract or continue further down into either the airway tract to the bronchus or the digestive tract to the intestines. The pathway of an FB depends on the size and shape of the FB and how sharp its edges are. Since the 20th century, the use of disposable stainless-steel needles in the oral cavity has proven to be an effective and safe method for performing various intraoral procedures like dental infiltration or a root canal wash. Complications from their use are rare. Generally, dental needle breakages are caused by patients biting the needle, incorrect injection techniques, or inadequate preventative measures. The sudden movement of a patient during a procedure is one of the most common causes of breakage. Occasionally, needles are swallowed during dental procedures such as a root canal. Here, we report a case of a patient that swallowed a broken needle during a dental procedure. A few days later, the patient presented with neck pain, swelling, and a FB sensation. When the patient presented, she claimed that her symptoms had onset after consuming a meal containing duck meat. Initially, the patient was diagnosed as having ingested a duck bone. However, intraoperatively, the FB was discovered to be an injection needle that had migrated from the throat to the neck.

Computer-Controlled Local Anesthesia Complication: Surgical Retrieval of a Broken Dental Needle in Noncooperative Autistic Paediatric Patient

“…However, such complications can also be observed in adults whose behavior is calm. Other causes of needle breakage include bending the needle before injection, placing it in the tissues up to its base, and using needles with a diameter inappropriate for the anatomical situation [ 16 ]. The latter factor is of exceptional importance, as it results from the desire to minimize the pain of the injection, although it has been proven that the pain caused by the injection does not depend on the diameter of the needle.…”

Removal of a broken dental needle in the pterygomandibular space using an image intensifier: two case reports

“…Therefore, the assessment of its correct position is imperative for its removal. 5 Among the variety of techniques that exist to locate foreign bodies in soft tissues, the image intensifier has several advantages. It is a device that offers images during the operation, in a fast way, providing analysis of the position of the broken needle at different angles, in addition to presenting its relation with the reference surgical instrument.…”