Teen has jaw shattered and loses teeth after vape pen explodes in his mouth

An American teenager has had his jaw shattered and lost several teeth after the vape pen he was using exploded in his mouth.

Austin Adams, 17, had to be driven by his mother, Kailani Burton, for more than five hours to reach the nearest hospital which could treat him.

Burton told NBC News that “Austin came in with his hand up to his mouth. He was in shock and unable to speak.”

The 45-year-old had bought the vape for her son after he had indicated that he wanted to quit smoking.

Adams had specifically chosen the model that exploded - which was manufactured by a company called VGOD.

They drove from Ely, Nevada, to a hospital in Salt Lake City in the neighbouring state of Utah - a journey of more than 240 miles.

“This child had a blast injury to his lower jaw, as well as burns around his lip,” said Dr Katie Russell, a trauma surgeon who treated Adams at Primary Children’s Hospital, where the pair ended up.

The accident was “totally unexpected," Russell told NBC News. “[Adams] didn’t recall doing anything wrong with the device beforehand, and it just exploded."

Another doctor, Dr Jonathan Skirko, who treated Adams said that it was the first time he had ever seen such an injury.

“His injury was fairly extensive where he had lost several teeth. There was not really much tissue along his gum line where the teeth sit either,” Skirko said.

“I deal with lots of jaw fractures and have seen lots of really exotic trauma, like grizzly bear attack or riding a motorcycle ... I’ve seen all kinds of crazy stuff,” he added. “[But] I’ve never seen an e-cigarette explode.”

The US Food and Drink Administration (FDA) has recently completed guidance for companies making electronic cigarettes.

It suggests that batteries should be redesigned to make them less likely to overheat.

"The FDA encourages manufacturers interested in making modifications to address battery safety issues to contact the agency to discuss options on how they can do so in a timely fashion and the FDA will consider each situation on a case-by-case basis," an FDA spokesman told NBC News.