title: Accidental swallowing of orthodontic expansion appliance key.
abstract: Ingestion of a foreign object, including a dental object, can lead to a trip to the emergency room. This article describes the accidental swallowing of a key that was used to activate a rapid maxillary expander. An orthodontic patient swallowed the key while trying to activate the appliance at home. The object's trajectory was followed on radiographs until it was eliminated. Possible clinical complications, legal implications of this situation, and practices for prevention are described.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Odontology, Universidade Estadual Paulista, Araraquara, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: André da Costa
authors.initials: Ada C
authors.lastname: Monini
authors.forename: Luiz Guilherme Martins
authors.initials: LG
authors.lastname: Maia
authors.forename: Helder Baldi
authors.initials: HB
authors.lastname: Jacob
authors.forename: Luiz Gonzaga
authors.initials: LG
authors.lastname: Gandini
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D003679:Deglutition; D003762:Dental Instruments / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005547:Foreign Bodies / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010155:Palatal Expansion Technique / Q000295:instrumentation*; D013270:Stomach