An Unusual Foreign Body After Dental Filling

Abstract

We report a case of a 71-year-old Caucasian woman who was referred to our emergency department for acute onset of dyspnoea and dry cough. She underwent dental filling for caries ~2h before. During the treatment, the distal part of the odontoiatric drill unintentionally fell off into the patient's oral cavity and was accidentally inhaled. Posteroanterior chest X-ray evidenced the foreign body localized in the right bronchial tree. A chest computed tomography scan showed the drill (with the tip pointed upward) wedged at the beginning of the right basal pyramid. A subsequent fiberoptic bronchoscopy confirmed the tip of the drill in the right lower bronchus, and the foreign body was easily removed due to the favorable position of the tip. The patient was discharged in first postoperative day without consequences.