A Rubber Protective Barrier for Oral Protection Against Accidental Swallowing

Abstract

Background: During dental treatment, it is often necessary to isolate the teeth from the oral environment with a rubber barrier so that saliva does not flow into the doctor's operating area, and to prevent the tongue from being scratched by dental instruments during treatment, and to prevent the inhalation or swallowing of foreign bodies due to human error. Objective: To provide an oral anti-swallowing rubber protection barrier for medical procedures without the need for wetting the tooth surface. Method: The oral anti-swallowing rubber protective barrier includes a pharyngeal barrier body, a tongue sleeve body, a bracket, a first elastic fixing member and a second elastic fixing member. With this new oral anti-swallowing rubber protective barrier, on the one hand, the support frame is used to support the pharyngeal barrier body to form a protective barrier for the pharyngeal passage to prevent inhalation or swallowing of foreign bodies; on the other hand, the tongue sleeve body is used to cover the tongue to prevent dental instruments from accidentally injuring the tongue. The use of the telescopic and spring-loaded connecting bar ensures that the curved bar is held against the palate while the height is adjusted according to the size of the patient's opening, extending the range of application; the use of the elastic fixing member stuck to the posterior area of the molar not only holds the rubber protective barrier in place but also assists in holding the mouth open. Results: The use of the rubber barrier in oral treatment is clinically effective and can significantly improve patient comfort and reduce treatment complications. Conclusion: An oral anti-swallowing rubber shield is provided to solve the problem of inadvertent swallowing of foreign objects such as instruments during medical operations without wetting the tooth surface.