Chloroform skin injury after endodontic Chloroform skin injury after endodontic retreatment: Case report

Abstract

A nonsurgical root canal retreatment was initiated for the upper right second premolar in a 35-year-old healthy female patient as part of her comprehensive dental treatment. She reported severe pain during the treatment, and then the procedure was discontinued due to time limitations. The next day, she returned back to the clinic complaining of a skin injury on the right side of her face. According to the patient's history, she felt a burning sensation during the procedure when the treating clinician began using a solution from a syringe. Extraoral clinical examination revealed a dry, pink-brown skin injury extending from the right labial commissure to the middle cheek area. Since the only solution used during the first visit was chloroform, the skin injury was diagnosed as a first-degree chemical burn due to accidental chloroform skin exposure. The patient was reassured and instructed to use petroleum jelly (Vaseline) until healing was complete. After 2 weeks, the burn had healed completely without scarring, with only slight hyperpigmentation remaining in the affected area. Chloroform use should be limited to cases in which mechanical gutta-percha removal is ineffective. It should be handled with extreme caution. Chemical burns can be prevented if exposure is detected immediately and the area washed thoroughly. This clinical case is made to increase the clinicians' awareness of the hazards of chloroform.