title: Intraoral chemical burn in an elderly patient with dementia.
abstract: We describe the case of a 77 year-old Japanese woman who was referred to the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at Tokyo Women's Medical University Hospital with symptoms of spontaneous intraoral pain and dysphagia evoked by accidental alkaline (calcium oxide) ingestion. The stomach and esophagus were examined under endoscopy, but no evidence of burns or ulceration associated with the calcium oxide was apparent in the upper gastrointestinal tract. Oral care, antibacterial therapy (cefmetazole sodium) and nutritional management were performed after hospitalization. Mucosal erosions, dysphagia and pneumonia were almost resolved after 16 days of oral care and antibacterial treatment. Re-burn of the oral mucosa associated with accidental ingestion was not reported after discharge. Oral management may have potential to improve the management of intraoral chemical burns, but symptomatic treatment remains the only strategy for burn management. Accidental ingestion of chemicals by patients with impaired cognition may result in dire consequences and prevention is thus more important than burn management.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Tokyo Women's Medical University, School of Medicine 8-1 Kawada-cho, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 162-8666, Japan.
authors.forename: Takuya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Naganawa
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Tokyo Women's Medical University, School of Medicine 8-1 Kawada-cho, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 162-8666, Japan.
authors.forename: Hidemasa
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Murozumi
authors.affiliation: Section of Orofacial Pain and Jaw Function, Department of Dentistry, Aarhus University Vennelyst Boulevard 9, Aarhus C, Denmark and Scandinavian Center for Orofacial Neurosciences (SCON) Aarhus.
authors.forename: Abhishek
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kumar
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Tokyo Women's Medical University, School of Medicine 8-1 Kawada-cho, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 162-8666, Japan.
authors.forename: Atsushi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Okuyama
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Tokyo Women's Medical University, School of Medicine 8-1 Kawada-cho, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 162-8666, Japan.
authors.forename: Toshihiro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Okamoto
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Tokyo Women's Medical University, School of Medicine 8-1 Kawada-cho, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 162-8666, Japan.
authors.forename: Tomohiro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ando
keywords: Chemical burn; dementia; intraoral