Atar, YavuzÇelik, CemBerkiten, Mustafa2023-05-152023-05-152023Atar, Y., Çelik, C., & Berkiten, M. (2023). Cervicofacial emphysema after a dental procedure: A case report. European Archives of Medical Research, 39(1), pp. 70-73. https://doi.org/10.4274/eamr.galenos.2023.569332651-31372651-3153https://doi.org/10.4274/eamr.galenos.2023.56933https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.13055/461Subcutaneous emphysema is a complication that can occur after dental procedures. Air leaking under the skin can diffuse into various potential spaces. When it spreads to the cervicofacial area, a complaint of significant facial swelling may occur a few hours after the procedure or the next day. Leaking into potential spaces can cause life-threatening situations in some cases. Two of these situations are pneumomediastinum and mediastinitis. The mucogingival barrier is a keratinized, protective structure at the junction of the oral cavity mucosa and gingiva. Caused by high-speed air rotors used in dental procedures, this complication can occur due to interventions that damage the mucogingival barrier, such as tooth extraction, restorative treatment, and root canal treatment. The aforementioned traumatic treatments may create a defect in the barrier, and the air emitted by high-speed air rotors may leak under the skin. It is rare for this complication to occur without significant damage to the mucogingival barrier. Even if cervicofacial emphysema develops, progression to pneumomediastinum and mediastinitis is rare. Clinical findings such as a significant dyspnea, high fever, and low oxygen saturation may be detected in the patient with these complications, or the patient may be asymptomatic. We present a 42-year-old female patient who developed subcutaneous emphysema and asymptomatic pneumomediastinum after caries treatment in which only 1/4 of her enamel was excised without tooth extraction.eninfo:eu-repo/semantics/openAccessDental CareSubcutaneous EmphysemaComplicationCase Report10.4274/eamr.galenos.2023.569333917073