Cervicofacial subcutaneous and mediastinal emphysema caused by air cooling spray of dental laser

Abstract

Cervicofacial subcutaneous emphysema is a rare complication of dental procedures with an air turbine or syringe, and dentists and oral surgeons sometimes encounter mediastinal emphysema following the presentation of extensive subcutaneous emphysema. Most emphysema occurs incidentally during tooth extraction, restorative treatment, or endodontic treatment, with only a few cases reported of cervicofacial subcutaneous emphysema associated with dental laser treatment. We report a case of cervicofacial subcutaneous and mediastinal emphysema caused by the air cooling spray of dental laser during dental treatment in a 76-year-old woman. After she underwent dental laser treatment, cervicofacial swelling was noted and she was referred to our department. Computed tomography showed both cervicofacial subcutaneous emphysema and mediastinal emphysema. Antibiotics were administered prophylactically and the emphysema disappeared 5 days after the dental laser treatment, without any complications.