The prevention and management of oral barotrauma.

Abstract

The recent increase in the popularity of scuba diving has emphasised the role of the dentist in the prevention and treatment of oral barotrauma. Pain and injury to oral structures can result from rapid changes in pressure gradients, and involve enclosed spaces such as the sinuses, exposed dentinal tubules, or root canals. Three patients provide clinical examples of dental barotrauma and highlight the need for an awareness that some patients are divers who need meticulous restorative dentistry.