2012 Volume 22 Issue 3 Pages 223-227
We report the case of a 55-year-old woman who had a silicone implant removed from her chin because of odontogenic infection. She had undergone plastic surgery with a silicone implantation in the chin region 30 years earlier. This time, she presented with pus oozing out of her chin and around her teeth. On examination at our department, she had periapical periodontitis of the mandibular anterior teeth, which had infected the implant and caused a fistula of the chin. Surgical intervention was executed to remove the implant and eliminate the fistula.
There are two types of surgery for chin augmentation: augmentation genioplasty by osteotomy and implantation with alloplastic materials such as hydroxyapatite blocks and silicone implants. Augmentation genioplasty with silicone implantation is frequently conducted in the field of plastic surgery because it is relatively simple and can be performed under local anesthesia. However, similar to our case, this surgery carries the risk of developing secondary post-operative infection from odontogenic diseases. Therefore, regular follow-up and maintenance of oral hygiene is important for patients who undergo chin augmentation procedures using silicone implants.