Management of An Accidentally Swallowed Flipper Prosthesis: A Case Report

Abstract

Ingestion of dental appliances is a rare situation in dentistry, making up 6.6 percent of all ingested objects, but it can lead to severe complications, especially among adults, elderly patients, and people with mental disabilities. Devices such as flipper prostheses, prostheses, and restorations may become dislodged and result in foreign body impingement. Clinical examinations, including laryngo-pharyngoscopy, esophagoscopy, and radiography may be required in such cases. Swallowed prostheses may also be found using computed tomography. However, prosthetic elements may not be detected on CT scan. It is estimated that approximately 92% of these swallowed objects go through the gastrointestinal tract, and 60% of them reach the stomach. However, those that remain in the oropharynx can cause edema, esophageal erosions, perforation, airway obstruction, and even death. In addition, clips attached to the denture increase the risk of the perforation of the esophagus or intestine. Swallowing dentures may occur in adults as the sensitivity of the oral cavity and laryngopharynx decreases by using dentures for a long time. The current paper presents a case report about ingesting a removable flipper prosthesis in a 48-year-old woman without any severe problems. The woman with epigastric pain was referred to the emergency department due to swallowing her flipper prosthesis. She mentioned that she was eating dinner and after swallowing, she suddenly noticed that her flipper prosthesis was missing from her upper jaw. The arc was observed in her esophagus and removed using Esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD). This paper emphasizes designing a removable flipper prosthesis with enough retention and stability to prevent them from being swallowed. Furthermore, patients should be recommended not to use these objects while sleeping.

Keywords

• artificial denture
• flipper prosthesis
• foreign body
• esophagus
• esophagogastroduodenoscopy (egd)