Facial foreign body caused by air gun injury: Key considerations in case management

Rodrigo Figueiredo de Brito Resende; Thais Machado de Carvalho Coutinho; Vivian Ronquete Figueiredo; Jessica Zachar; Gustavo Vicentis Oliveira Fernandes; Marcelo José Pinheiro de Uzeda; Peter Reher; Rodrigo Figueiredo de Brito Resende; Thais Machado de Carvalho Coutinho; Vivian Ronquete Figueiredo; Jessica Zachar; Gustavo Vicentis Oliveira Fernandes; Marcelo José Pinheiro de Uzeda; Peter Reher

doi:10.3934/jdms.2026004

Journal of Dentistry and Multidisciplinary Sciences

2026, Volume 2, Issue 1: 23-29. doi: 10.3934/jdms.2026004

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Case report

Facial foreign body caused by air gun injury: Key considerations in case management

Rodrigo Figueiredo de Brito Resende ^1,2,3,
Thais Machado de Carvalho Coutinho ¹,
Vivian Ronquete Figueiredo ¹,
Jessica Zachar ^3,4,
Gustavo Vicentis Oliveira Fernandes ^{5
,
,},
Marcelo José Pinheiro de Uzeda ^1,2,
Peter Reher ³

1.
School of Dentistry, Iguaçu University, Nova Iguaçu, RJ, Brazil
2.
School of Dentistry, Federal Fluminense University, Niterói, RJ, Brazil
3.
School of Dentistry, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
4.
Oral Health Alliance, STARS, Metro North Health, Qld Health, QLD, Australia
5.
School of Dentistry and Oral Health, A.T. Still University, St. Louis, MO, USA

Received: 16 April 2026 Revised: 12 May 2026 Accepted: 05 June 2026 Published: 10 June 2026

Facial injuries caused by air gun projectiles, although classified as low-energy traumas, can lead to infectious and inflammatory complications when the foreign body remains embedded in soft tissues. This study reports the case of a 28-year-old melanodermic female patient in whom a routine panoramic radiograph revealed a metallic image compatible with a lead pellet in the region of tooth 46. The patient complained of recurrent pain and episodes of purulent drainage for six months, with a history of facial impact caused by an air gun about 10 months earlier. The treatment consisted of surgical removal under local anesthesia, with careful dissection and complete extraction of the projectile. The postoperative period was uneventful, with satisfactory healing and no recurrence after two years of clinical follow-up.
- facial trauma,
- air guns,
- non-lethal weapon
Citation: Rodrigo Figueiredo de Brito Resende, Thais Machado de Carvalho Coutinho, Vivian Ronquete Figueiredo, Jessica Zachar, Gustavo Vicentis Oliveira Fernandes, Marcelo José Pinheiro de Uzeda, Peter Reher. Facial foreign body caused by air gun injury: Key considerations in case management[J]. Journal of Dentistry and Multidisciplinary Sciences, 2026, 2(1): 23-29. doi: 10.3934/jdms.2026004

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Abstract

Facial injuries caused by air gun projectiles, although classified as low-energy traumas, can lead to infectious and inflammatory complications when the foreign body remains embedded in soft tissues. This study reports the case of a 28-year-old melanodermic female patient in whom a routine panoramic radiograph revealed a metallic image compatible with a lead pellet in the region of tooth 46. The patient complained of recurrent pain and episodes of purulent drainage for six months, with a history of facial impact caused by an air gun about 10 months earlier. The treatment consisted of surgical removal under local anesthesia, with careful dissection and complete extraction of the projectile. The postoperative period was uneventful, with satisfactory healing and no recurrence after two years of clinical follow-up.

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