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Journal of ENT and Allied Sciences 10(2):p 61-64, July - Dec. 2025. | DOI: 10.21088/rjeas.2456.5024.10225.4
Case Report
Hidden Dangers of Oral Hygiene: Oropharyngeal Impalement by Toothbrush in a 3-Year-old
Prince Handa, Devesh Nogia, Ashish Gopal, Pratik Kumar, Shafaat Ahmad, Anubha Mangla, Ishwar Singh
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Attribution-Non-commercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)This license enables reusers to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the material in any medium or format for noncommercial purposes only, and only so long as attribution is given to the creator.
Journal of ENT and Allied Sciences 10(2):p 61-64, July - Dec. 2025. | DOI: 10.21088/rjeas.2456.5024.10225.4
How Cite This Article:
Nogia D, Handa P, Gopal A, et al. Hidden Dangers of Oral Hygiene: Oropharyngeal Impalement by Toothbrush in a 3-Year-old. RFP J ENT Allied Sci 2025;10(2):61–64.Timeline
Received : July 17, 2025
Accepted : September 13, 2025
Published : December 30, 2025
Abstract
Introduction: Oropharyngeal impalement injuries in children are common due to behavioral tendencies such as walking or playing with objects in the mouth. Although most injuries are benign, a subset can lead to serious complications. Case Report: We report a case of a 3-year, 4-month-old male who sustained a penetrating injury to the oropharynx after a fall while brushing his teeth. The toothbrush became lodged into the left tonsillar fossa, causing significant discomfort and distress. Emergency transoral endoscopic removal was performed under sedation with standby tracheostomy. No vascular or airway injury was noted, and the patient recovered uneventfully. Conclusion: Though seemingly trivial, oropharyngeal penetrating trauma with common household objects like toothbrushes can pose life-threatening risks. Prompt evaluation and careful extraction are critical to avoid complications.
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Data Sharing Statement
There are no additional data available. All raw data and code are available upon request.
Funding
This research received no funding.
Author Contributions
All authors contributed significantly to the work and approve its publication.
Ethics Declaration
This article does not involve any human or animal subjects, and therefore does not require ethics approval.
Acknowledgements
We would like to express our gratitude to the patients, their families, and all those who have contributed to this study.
Conflicts of Interest
No conflicts of interest in this work.
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Cite this article
Nogia D, Handa P, Gopal A, et al. Hidden Dangers of Oral Hygiene: Oropharyngeal Impalement by Toothbrush in a 3-Year-old. RFP J ENT Allied Sci 2025;10(2):61–64.
Licence:
Attribution-Non-commercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)This license enables reusers to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the material in any medium or format for noncommercial purposes only, and only so long as attribution is given to the creator.
| Received | Accepted | Published |
|---|---|---|
| July 17, 2025 | September 13, 2025 | December 30, 2025 |
DOI: 10.21088/rjeas.2456.5024.10225.4
Keywords
Oropharyngeal InjuriesRare Foreign BodyPediatric Impalement InjuryToothbrush Injury Endoscopic RemovalTonsil TraumaSearch for Similar Articles
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Timeline
| Received | July 17, 2025 |
| Accepted | September 13, 2025 |
| Published | December 30, 2025 |
licence
Attribution-Non-commercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)
This license enables reusers to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the material in any medium or format for noncommercial purposes only, and only so long as attribution is given to the creator.
