Dental root canal treatment complicated by foreign body ingestion: a case report.
BACKGROUND
Most foreign bodies pass through the gastrointestinal tract uneventfully. The majority of the reported literature describes the management of ingested blunt objects. However, ingestion of sharp objects can still occur with a higher rate of perforation corresponding to treatment dilemmas.


METHODS
We report the conservative management of an inadvertently ingested sharp foreign body during a routine dental procedure and describe a management strategy for the treatment of both blunt and sharp foreign bodies.


CONCLUSIONS
Urgent endoscopic assessment and retrieval is indicated when there is a history of a recently ingested sharp foreign body or if clinical suspicion suggests that the object is located within the oesophagus. Conservative management is advocated if the object has passed through the pylorus with serial clinical assessments including daily radiographs. Surgical intervention is warranted in the presence of obstruction, perforation or peritonitis.
Dhandapani
Ramyia G
RG
Department of General Surgery, Daisy Hill Hospital, Newry BT35 8DR, Northern Ireland, UK. modonnell904@hotmail.com.
Kumar
Susim
S
O'Donnell
Mark E
ME
McNaboe
Ted
T
Cranley
Brian
B
Blake
Geoff
G