Management of foreign body in the maxillofacial region – A retrospective study

Abstract

Background: Foreign bodies (FBs) in the maxillofacial region are not rare due to increasing trends of accidents and interpersonal assaults. This leads due to a steady increase in facial injuries. The management of FB starts with the development of strong clinical suspicion of the presence of FB during the initial wound examination. Face being the most appealing and esthetic part of the body, early recognition and removal of FB decrease the patient's morbidity. Further, chronic infection and recurrent surgeries can be avoided. Objectives: This retrospective study gives the clinical experience of the management of FB in the maxillofacial region in most referred tertiary care government hospital in South India. Further, the intricacies and the sequence of effective management were discussed in detail. Materials and Methods: A retrospective study was conducted in the Department of Dentistry, Government Rajaji hospital, Madurai Medical College, Tamil Nadu, India, for 5 years from 2014 to 2019 on the management of FBs in the maxillofacial region. Patient's records were analyzed for demographic data, etiology, clinical presentation, investigation, type of FB, and management. Results: Thirty-five patients were treated in the period of 5 years. Out of 35 patients, males were predominantly treated for retrieval of FB; the most common etiology is renal tubular acidosis, most of them presented early; computed tomography is the diagnostic modality used to detect most of the FB; the most common type of FB is the glass followed by wood, and the removal of FB was predominantly done under General anaesthesia (GA). Conclusion: Early recognition of FB in the maxillofacial region is important. This hastens the removal along with the management of fractures, if any without additional investigations and surgery.