[Subcutaneous emphysema, pneumomediastinum and dental extraction].

One case of pneumomediastinum due to subcutaneous emphysema occurring after using a high speed air turbine drill during dental extraction was described, as only a few cases have been published in the literature. Air may have entered the soft tissues directly by being forced down the gingival crevice. The air may then have passed by way of the fascial planes to enter deeper structures and the mediastinum. The consequences of this condition after general anaesthesia were discussed, more common aetiologies being tracheal or oesophageal rupture, bronchial rupture or pneumothorax.