Unintentionally Retained Elevator Blade Left for 8 Years Causes Mild Chronic Pain

Abstract

Fracture of surgical instruments in dental practice is not usually reported in the literature. Management involves searching for and retrieving the fragment to avoid issues such as infection, swallowing, or aspiration. Although foreign bodies may not cause symptoms for years, some can cause chronic pain. The authors describe herein the unusual case of an unintentionally retained broken elevator blade left for 8 years before being found during an orthodontic evaluation. Panoramic radiography revealed a foreign body in the alveolar bone of the right mandibular third molar that was causing mild chronic pain. The patient was unaware whether routine radiographic examination had revealed its presence. Cone-beam computer tomography was performed to identify the position of the blade fragment, and surgery was performed to retrieve it. The mild chronic pain disappeared after removal. It is advisable to use high-quality surgical instruments and to perform routine checkups before and after surgery.