This paper describes a patient with recurrent unilateral nasal discomfort and pain due to an intranasal tooth. A short overview of the literature is provided in relation to the aetiology, symptomatology, diagnosis and treatment of intranasal teeth.

A 26-year-old man was referred with a history of recurrent left-sided nasal obstruction, facial pain and discomfort, and chronic purulent rhinorrhoea. Computed tomography revealed a nasal tooth, which was likely to have been the cause of these symptoms. After transnasal surgical extraction under endoscopic guidance, the patient was relieved of his complaints (at the one-year follow up).

An ectopic tooth in the nasal cavity is a rare phenomenon, and in most cases the cause of an intranasal tooth remains unclear. The treatment of an intranasal tooth entails surgical extraction even though such teeth may remain asymptomatic; several cases have illustrated the potential significant morbidity associated with their occurrence.

We report three cases of lateral outfracture of the inferior turbinate, which demonstrate a range of changes in the size, position and shape of the inferior turbinate.

During a study of the validity of computer modelling of nasal airflow, computed tomography scans of the noses of patients who had undergone lateral outfracture of the inferior turbinate were collected. The pre-operative scan was compared with the post-operative scan six weeks later.

In one patient, there was only a small lateral displacement of the inferior turbinate. In the other two cases, appreciable reduction in the volume of one inferior turbinate was noted, in addition to minor changes in the shape.

Lateral outfracture of the inferior turbinate produces varied and inconsistent changes in morphology which may affect the shape, size and position of the turbinate.