Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Case Reports
. 2025 Apr 27;17(4):e83089.
doi: 10.7759/cureus.83089. eCollection 2025 Apr.

Subcutaneous and Periorbital Emphysema Following a Dental Procedure

Takafumi Obara  1 , Tsuyoshi Nojima  1 , Kazuki Nakatsuji  2 , Takashi Hongo  1 , Tetsuya Yumoto  1 , Atsunori Nakao  1
Affiliations
Case Reports

Subcutaneous and Periorbital Emphysema Following a Dental Procedure

Takafumi Obara et al. Cureus. .

Abstract

Subcutaneous emphysema following dental procedures is rare. We present the case of a young, healthy woman who was transferred from a dental clinic to our emergency department due to sudden swelling of the left orbit immediately after a dental procedure involving the use of the dental air and water syringe. The diagnosis of subcutaneous facial emphysema was made based on the patient's history, physical examination, and computed tomography imaging. The patient received prophylactic amoxicillin, and the lesion resolved completely in one week. Prompt clinical suspicion and a thorough evaluation of the signs and symptoms, including a detailed clinical history, are crucial for diagnosing subcutaneous emphysema following a dental procedure.

Keywords: air pressure; antibiotic prophylaxis; dental procedures; operative; subcutaneous emphysema.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Human subjects: Consent for treatment and open access publication was obtained or waived by all participants in this study. Conflicts of interest: In compliance with the ICMJE uniform disclosure form, all authors declare the following: Payment/services info: All authors have declared that no financial support was received from any organization for the submitted work. Financial relationships: All authors have declared that they have no financial relationships at present or within the previous three years with any organizations that might have an interest in the submitted work. Other relationships: All authors have declared that there are no other relationships or activities that could appear to have influenced the submitted work.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Facial emphysema
Computed tomography of the neck and head at the time of emergency department presentation: (A) sagittal, (B) coronal, and (C) axial views. Radiolucent air pockets (dark areas) are visible in the subcutaneous tissues of the left midface, extending into the periorbital region. The likely point of entry is the extraction site of the left maxillary first premolar (indicated by the yellow triangle).
Figure 2
Figure 2. Photographs of periocular region
(Top) At the time of emergency department visits. (Bottom) At the follow-up visit one week later.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. A case report on subcutaneous emphysema and pneumomediastinum following a routine dental procedure. Deskins SJ, Brunner NE, Brunner M. Cureus. 2023;15:0. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Iatrogenic subcutaneous emphysema and pneumomediastinum following a high-speed air drill dental treatment procedure. Nishimura T, Sawai T, Kadoi K, et al. Acute Med Surg. 2015;2:253–256. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Subcutaneous emphysema after a dental procedure. Brito D, Medeiros C, Caley L. Eur J Case Rep Intern Med. 2022;9:3153. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Cervicofacial emphysema and pneumomediastinum after a high-speed air drill endodontic treatment procedure. Durukan P, Salt O, Ozkan S, Durukan B, Kavalci C. Am J Emerg Med. 2012;30:2095–2096. - PubMed
    1. Iatrogenic subcutaneous facial emphysema secondary to a Class V dental restoration: a case report. Chien PY. Aust Dent J. 2019;64:43–46. - PubMed

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources