Accidental Ingestions of Dental Materials Visualized on Medical Radiographs in an Emergency Radiology Department

Abstract

The ingestion and more rarely the aspiration of foreign bodies is not uncommon in medical radiographs, particularly in Emergency Departments. The results particularly in cases of aspiration can be life threatening to the patient. In the past there has been numerous case reports of dental materials and items ingested or aspired by patient. However there have been no studies lately to identify the characteristics of the materials and their results. The present paper is a case series of dental materials and items ingested or aspired in a large hospital, which is most cases not recorded by dentists or doctors.