Hazards of orthodontics appliances and the oropharynx.
Occasionally orthodontic appliances or parts of orthodontic appliances have caused problems with either the airway or the gastrointestinal tract. The type of appliances that have caused problems and their clinical management are discussed. A case is described in which an upper removable appliance with inadequate retention became lodged in a patient's pharynx lacerating the palatine tonsils. Suggestions are made to try and avoid the problems that were encountered in this case and others reported in the literature in patients undergoing orthodontic treatment.
Dibiase
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Department of Orthodontics and Restorative Dentistry, Glenfield Hospital, Groby Road, Leicester LE3 9QP, UK.
Samuels
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Ozdiler
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Akcam
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Turkkahraman
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H
D000402:Airway Obstruction / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy; D002648:Child; D003679:Deglutition; D005260:Female; D005547:Foreign Bodies / Q000150:complications / Q000209:etiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D006801:Humans; D001239:Inhalation; D009960:Oropharynx; D016382:Orthodontic Appliance Design; D009967:Orthodontic Appliances / Q000009:adverse effects*