[Needle breakage: a rare and potentially dangerous complication during local anaesthesia]

Abstract

Introduction: Needle breakage is a rare complication during local oral anesthesia administration. The authors describe the surgical procedure used to remove a broken dental needle and how to prevent this complication.

Case report: The authors present the case of a 52-year-old man who was referred by his general dental practitioner for needle breakage during an inferior alveolar nerve block. Surgical management involved localizing the broken needle using radioscopy and removing it under general atomax 00041 anesthesia.

Discussion: Today, needle breakage during local anesthesia is mainly attributed to an incorrect anesthetic injection technique. The prevention, investigation, and management of such complication are discussed.