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A case presentation about a patient receiving a burn from a dental rotary handpiece was included in Health Canada’s Canadian Adverse Reaction Newsletter in October.
The federal agency received a report of a patient whose cheek was burned by a surgical handpiece during restorative work on an upper tooth. When the manufacturer examined the product after the incident, it had worn bearings and was improperly maintained. Health Canada says it has received other reports of similar patient burns involving handpieces from a variety of manufacturers.
Health Canada encourages dentists to report any adverse incidents to the Health Products and Food Branch Inspectorate at 1-800-267-9675.