Sir, I acquired but sadly disposed of an identical 'mystery object' to that pictured in the BDJ1 (Fig. 1) when I took over a retirement practice in Woodford Green in 1978. It was designed to be held by the dentist or nurse, just above the chin, allowing discreet removal of dentures directly into the small bowl. Patients would use their hands to briefly 'hide' the dentures as they slipped out of the mouth.

Figure 1
figure 1

Mysterious porcelain dish at the BDA Museum

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