title: Embedded toothbrush foreign body in cheek - report of an unusual case.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Toothbrush injuries are common in children, and those of impalement and embedded injuries are the more serious.
  
  
  METHODS
  A five-year-old girl presented with a complaint of a swelling affecting the left side of her face and with difficulty in opening her mouth for the previous 15 days. She gave a history of a fall while brushing her teeth. A foreign body (head of a toothbrush) located adjacent to the mandibular ramus was identified with the help of a CT scan.
  
  
  METHODS
  The foreign body was located by surgical exploration and retrieved. An extra-oral sinus that was present was excised and the resulting defect was reconstructed using a Limberg flap.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Healing was uneventful during the follow-up period. After 18 months the child's mouth had completely healed although some extra-oral scarring was present.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  When dealing with children reporting for evaluation following trauma while tooth brushing, a thorough evaluation is essential for embedded foreign bodies.
authors: Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Sri Siddhartha Dental College, India. drsathish75@gmail.com
authors: R
authors: R
authors: Sathish
authors: S
authors: S
authors: Suhas
authors: G
authors: G
authors: Gayathri
authors: G
authors: G
authors: Ravikumar
authors: L
authors: L
authors: Chandrashekar
authors: T L
authors: TL
authors: Omprakash
mesh_terms: D000058:Accidental Falls; D002610:Cheek / Q000293:injuries* / Q000473:pathology; D002675:Child, Preschool; D017577:Cutaneous Fistula / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005547:Foreign Bodies / Q000209:etiology* / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D009061:Mouth Mucosa / Q000293:injuries* / Q000473:pathology; D016155:Oral Fistula / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery; D013524:Surgical Flaps; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D014099:Toothbrushing / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000295:instrumentation*