Accidentally Swallowing a Toothbrush in a Patient during a Vomiting Attempt: Literature Review and Case Report

Maria José Mesa-López, Carina Martínez-Camacho and Francisco Mesa
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Maria José Mesa-López: Digestive Department, University Hospital Virgen de la Arrixaca, 30331 Murcia, Spain
Carina Martínez-Camacho: Digestive Department, University Hospital Virgen de la Arrixaca, 30331 Murcia, Spain
Francisco Mesa: Periodontology Department, School of Dentistry, University of Granada, 18071 Granada, Spain

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 5, 1-5

Abstract: Swallowing a whole toothbrush is a rare event. As of today, no case described has documented that the foreign body has passed through the entire gastrointestinal tract and has been spontaneously eliminated. Places where it is most frequently retained have been described. Only in one single case described did the foreign body reach the colon. We describe the main injuries caused by this foreign body, and the most common correct therapeutic approach for solving the problem. The third case in the literature is presented, with diagnosis and treatment of a woman who, in an attempt to induce vomiting, swallowed a toothbrush which became lodged in her stomach. The patient, at the time of the examination, only showed abdominal pain and anxiety.

Keywords: swallowing disorders; manual toothbrush; gastroscopy; case report (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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