2006 Volume 69 Issue 3_4 Pages 121-128
We treated 217 cases (133 males and 84 females) for foreign bodies of dental origin in the airway and gastrointestinal tract in our hospital between 1986 and 2005. We found that 122 of the patients (56.2%) were over 50 years of age. Sixteen cases involved foreign bodies in the airway and 98 were in the gastrointestinal tract. The most common foreign objects were crown restorations followed by dental instruments. All but 6 of the 98 gastrointestinal foreign bodies were eliminated by defecation. When there was spontaneous elimination, it occurred within 4 days of swallowing in 67.3% of the patients. The accident occurred during dental treatment in 184 of the cases (84.8%) and while eating or sleeping in 33 cases (15.2%).
We recommend that the dentist should make a model of the denture or crown that has been swallowed to aid the surgeon in its removal.
