Foreign Body Aspiration in Dentistry

Background: The foreign body aspiration is very common while performing a dental procedure. Most of the patients are from lower age group as these group of people have high amount of sugar and starch containing diet which is not good for the oral health. But it is not limited to them and several aged patients are also victim of foreign body aspiration.

Summary: Foreign bodies can be anything from cloth dam, barrier techniques itself to broken tooth. Due to age related delayed gag reflex and impact of anesthesia can be possible reasons behind the foreign body aspiration. Pulmonary aspiration is a serious cause of concern and cannot be neglected. It can go unnoticed which can brought to cognizance after careful study and observation of the radiographs. Endoscopic procedures are used to locate and extract the foreign body from the lungs.

Conclusion: Proper guidelines regarding the extraction of foreign body extraction and identification must be followed as it is life threatening condition. Vulnerable age group must be treated with extra caution and every chance of mistake must be covered. Standard operating procedure must be strictly adhered to in order rot have maximum accuracy.