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Sir, we wish to share a case of a 63-year-old who accidentally swallowed their partial denture, which replaced the upper left two premolars, whilst taking their morning medications. Despite no initial breathing difficulties or significant pain, the patient attended A&E where they were initially seen by the local oral & maxillofacial surgical team. CT abdomen and pelvis demonstrated 'Dentures lodged in the distal oesophagus' warranting 'urgent upper GI surgical or gastroenterological opinion'. Emergency oesophagogastroduodenoscopy by the gastroenterologists failed to identify the denture. After consultation with the general surgeons, an abdominal radiograph demonstrated the dentures' likely position having moved to the small intestines. The patient was managed non-surgically being kept in hospital for monitoring before being discharged home to await natural passage of their denture. The cost of this admission was approximately £1,500.
Reflecting upon this case highlights a number of things. A number of reports have documented such problems with small unilateral RPDs.1,2,3 In this case an uneventful passage of the denture occurred but more serious complications such as bowel perforation have been documented. Management of such problems usually requires involvement of the MDT within hospital. In such a setting the anatomical location of the prosthesis can be identified and appropriate arrangements can be made to remove the prosthesis either actively or passively depending on its whereabouts.
References
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Rizzatti-Barbosa C M, Cunha F L, Bianchini W A, de Albergaria-Barbosa J R, Gomes B P . Accidental impaction of a unilateral removable partial denture: a clinical report. J Prosthet Dent 1999; 82: 270–271.
Gallas M, Blanco M, Martinez-Ares D, Rivo E, GarcÃa-Fontán E, Cañizares M . Unnoticed swallowing of a unilateral removable partial denture. Gerodontology 2012; 29: e1198–200.
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Lawrence, M., Fan, K. Swallowed partial denture. Br Dent J 224, 288 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.bdj.2018.180
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.bdj.2018.180