On 28 May, a piece from a dental equipment accidentally slipped and fell into a man’s throat during a dental procedure at Jurong Polyclinic.
The patient was later sent to the emergency department for the removal of the dental piece and had to undergo several scans to have the piece located.
After several days at the hospital, the dental tool piece was naturally passed out from the man.
According to the Strait Times (ST), a dentist had accidentally dropped a piece of his dental equipment into a man’s throat during a tooth-filling procedure at Jurong Polyclinic
As a result, the dentist had to refer him to the emergency department at Ng Teng Fong General Hospital to get the piece out.
Source: Mufid Majnun on Unsplash, for illustration purposes only.
The 51-year-old man, Mr W, had to undergo several scans over the next few days so that doctors could monitor the location of the piece in his body. This caused his wife, Ms Rina, to worry about the potential harm it could while the foreign object was still inside his body.
“How possible is this?” Ms Rina asked, finding it hard to believe that a piece of dental equipment could easily break off and fall into her husband’s throat.
She told ST that Ms W only went for an X-ray during the first day of the incident. It was only on the second day that doctors tried to remove the object with a scope. But apparently, it was too late as the item had already moved into the small intestine.
The doctors explained that since the piece wasn’t causing Mr W any harm, they would monitor it for two weeks before deciding if surgery was necessary.
“They tried to reassure me that there is no bleeding,” said Ms Rina, adding that bleeding would necessitate an operation.
While waiting, doctors would see if the item could be passed out naturally.
On Thursday (30 May) afternoon, representatives from the polyclinic visited the couple with a basket of fruits, saying the clinic would be responsible for the bill.
Despite the polyclinic representatives’ assurance, Ms Rina found it unfair that during their hospital check in, her husband had to undertake the payment for the treatment as she saw the incident as the polyclinic’s fault.
The National University Polyclinics (NUP) spokesperson said the patient needed to be monitored closely for any signs of discomfort or symptoms while the object was still in his small intestine. This is why Mr W had to be admitted.
Scans would be repeated to see if the object passed through bowel movements naturally. The care team kept a close eye for immediate intervention if needed, aiming for the natural expulsion of the foreign object.
Source: Jon Tyson on Unsplash, for illustration purposes only.
On 31 May, their foruth day in the hospital, doctors found that the foreign object inside Mr W has reached the large intestine. “There seems to be no damage, but it is still inside,” Ms Rina explained.
On Monday (3 June), a week after the incident, the equipment piece was finally passed out from his bowels.
“He gave birth this morning!” said a text Ms Rina had sent. Mr W was afterwards discharged from the hospital.
Ms Rina described it as an anxious time with three of their four children having exams during the admission.
She added that her husband was relieved that most of the tooth filling was done because he didn’t want to visit the clinic again.
The NUP spokesperson explained that a dental X-ray is normally used to scan the upper and lower jaw when a foreign object is suspected to be stuck in a patient’s body.
Source: NUHS
If the object isn’t visible, the patient is then referred for additional imaging scans like chest X-ray, lateral neck X-ray, and abdominal X-ray to pinpoint the object’s position.
“It’s important to note that incidents like these are extremely rare, and patient safety and well-being are always top priority. Dentists and medical professionals here strictly adhere to safety guidelines and protocols in such instances,” said the spokesperson.
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Featured image adapted from Mufid Majnun on Unsplash, for illustration purposes only.
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