Fracture of a Dental Needle during Inferior Alveolar Nerve Block in a Young Child: A Case Report

Abstract

The fracture of a needle during local anesthesia in dental treatment is rare; however, when it occurs, the needle should be removed without damage to surrounding structures as soon as possible. A fractured needle fragment that is buried in soft tissue would be difficult to remove, and a careful surgical procedure under general anesthesia is recommended in such cases.Children who require dental treatment are often not capable of cooperative behavior, thus unexpected movements can increase the risk of needle fracture. Clinicians can reduce the incidence of needle fracture accidents with a few precautions.In the present case report, we report a case of needle fracture due to abrupt movement during inferior alveolar nerve block anesthesia in a young child, with the purpose of drawing attention to needle fracture incidents. This report describes the possible causes and prevention methods of local anesthetic needle fracture, and the localization methods and surgical procedure for needle fragment removal.

Removal of a fractured needle during inferior alveolar nerve block: two case reports

“…Recently, Kim and Moon [ 7 ] reported the removal of a needle fracture fragment using three-dimensional computed tomography (3-D CT); Lee et al [ 8 ] reported the removal of broken needle via a microscopic approach. Lee et al [ 9 ] also reported the removal of broken needles following the administration of inferior alveolar nerve block to a pediatric patient. Although it is a rare event, if a needle fracture occurs, every effort should be made to remove the needle fragment as soon as the breakage occurs.…”