Accidental Ingestion of Instruments in Pediatric Dental Patients: Report of Three Cases

Very young children are at risk of swallowing or aspirating numerous household things. This risk is enhanced during dental procedures of these children as they tend to be very unco-operative due to their age and lack of maturity to understand the importance of the treatment. Use of physical barriers, sedation or general anesthesia is not practically possible in every child scheduled for dental treatment. Dentist must be able to manage emergency situations in which patients accidentally swallow dental instruments or materials during treatment and procedures. This article presents ingestion of dental objects in 3 children and attempts to discuss the management and prevention of such mishaps