Accidental ingestion of an air-water syringe tip during routine dental treatment: a case report

Abstract

Accidental ingestion of instruments or their components is a possible complication of dental treatment. Although in many cases the foreign object can pass through the gastrointestinal tract without any need for surgical intervention to retrieve it, sometimes such incidents can be life-threatening. This paper reports a case of accidental ingestion of an air-water syringe tip during routine dental treatment for which endoscopic retrieval was required. The present case highlights the need for dental professionals to be aware of the fact that dental equipment comprising multiple components may be associated with a risk of accidental detachment of a component and its ingestion or aspiration by a patient receiving treatment. (J Oral Sci 56, 235-238, 2014)