A rare case of accidental swallowing and uneventful expulsion of a dental mouth mirror

Abstract

Accidents are unpleasant incidences that happen when we are careless or when we do not follow the safety rules. In the dental office, foreign body ingestion or aspiration is a rare but serious mishappening. Ingestion of blunt foreign objects is less life-threatening and the object is generally egested through the gastrointestinal tract uneventfully, but instrument may sometimes cause intestinal perforation. Aspiration, on the other hand, is a more serious, but fortunately, less prevalent hazard and often leads to hospitalization of the patient. From a legal aspect also, such incidence is counted as negligence on the part of the operator and the dentist should be well aware of the legal liabilities and should take the appropriate preventive measures to prevent or intercept any untoward circumstance.