Accidental swallowing of the head of a dental mirror: Report of a rare case

Abstract

Foreign body ingestion/aspiration episodes are potential complications in all branches of dentistry. We report a case of swallowed head of dental mirror found in the esophagus. In this unusual case, a 26-year-old male who was anxious because of excessive pain accidentally swallowed the head of the dental mirror during examination. Given the absence of immediate clinical complications, the patient underwent a chest radiograph. The head of dental mirror was located in the middle third of the esophagus and was later removed by rigid esophagoscopy. To our knowledge, this is the first documented case of a swallowed head of dental mirror found in the esophagus. In addition to the clinical repercussions, this paper also discusses management strategies for patients who have accidentally swallowed components of dental instruments.

Keywords

• examination
• surgical intervention
• swallowed dental mirror