An unusual foreign body in the nostril.

BACKGROUND

Intranasal teeth are uncommon. Causes include trauma, infection, anatomical malformations and genetic factors. They present mainly in children, and many are asymptomatic.

METHODS

This report describes the finding of a tooth that had been displaced into the nasal cavity in a six-year-old girl. The history, clinical examination, findings and operative treatment are described.

RESULTS

The child presented with nasal symptoms. Examination revealed a tooth in the right nasal cavity, confirmed by a lateral cephalogram radiograph. It was extracted under general anaesthesia. At follow up, the child was asymptomatic.

CONCLUSION

This is an unusual case of a child presenting with an intranasal tooth and nasal symptoms following trauma a number of years earlier. The child underwent extraction of the tooth, and recovered well without any complications.