Excessive bleeding in the floor of the mouth after endosseus implant placement: a report of two cases.

Placement of dental implants in the interforaminal region of the edentulous mandible is considered a safe and routine surgical procedure. Hemorrhage in the floor of the mouth has been reported as a rare, potentially life-threatening complication related to the placement of implants in this region. In this case report the authors present an immediate and a delayed case of massive bleeding in the floor of the mouth after implant placement. This highly vascularized region is vulnerable and bleeding can be induced easily by instrumentation, causing a vascular trauma, usually by perforation of lingual periostium. In almost all cases the expanding hematoma formation starts during surgery. The effect of the vasoconstrictive agent in the local anesthesic combined with an injury of the lingual arterio-venous plexus can result in delayed swelling, causing respiratory distress through obstruction of the upper airways. Copyright (c) 2009 International Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.