Metal crown impacted in the tongue: a case report

• Published in: Japanese Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Vol. 59; no. 6; pp. 438 - 442
• Main Authors: ABE, Ayaka, TAKAHASHI, Yoshihiro, KONO, Tatsuyuki, YAMAMOTO, Noriaki, ONO, Keiichiro, KAWANO, Kenji
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Japanese Society of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons 20.06.2013
• Subjects: impaction; metal crown; schizophrenia; tongue; trauma
• ISSN: 0021-5163; 2186-1579
• DOI: 10.5794/jjoms.59.438

We report a case of foreign body impaction in the tongue of a 63-year-old woman with schizophrenia. The patient was referred to our hospital by her dentist because of a swelling of the tongue. At the first visit to our hospital, physical examination revealed a submucosal elastic hard mass, measuring 23 × 20 mm, on the dorsal aspect of the tongue. There was a fistula in the mucosa over the mass. Oral antibiotics were given for a clinical diagnosis of a submucosal tumor with secondary infection, but the inflammation did not resolve completely. Computed tomography and radiography showed a metal crown impacted in the muscle layer of the tongue. The crown and surrounding soft tissue were removed with the patient under local anesthesia. Histopathologically, the resected tissue was inflamed granulation tissue with marked infiltration of neutrophils and proliferation of capillary vessels. No evidence of a neoplastic lesion was observed. A further medical interview made the patient confess to a history of tongue trauma caused by falling about 1 month before presentation to our hospital.