Abstract
A 7-year-old girl presented to the Pediatrics Department of our hospital with worsening stomachache and fever. She was referred to our department with a diagnosis of acute appendicitis. CT revealed a tooth-shaped foreign body in the expanded appendix. Acute appendicitis caused by an ingested tooth was suspected, and emergency single-incision laparoscopic appendectomy was performed. The appendix was found to be phlegmonous, without perforation. A 9-mm deciduous tooth was found in the resected appendix, and histopathology revealed findings consistent with gangrenous appendicitis. The patient's postoperative course was good, and she was discharged from the hospital on postoperative day 4. Appendicitis due to migration of a foreign body into the appendix is rare, occurring at a reported frequency of 0.2%-0.75%. The majority of foreign bodies that have been implicated in the development of appendicitis include fish bones, dentures and seeds, and this is one of the first reports of a deciduous tooth as the implicated foreign body. Appendicitis caused by dentures or teeth can easily result in perforation ; therefore, early surgical treatment is necessary in such cases.
