Unusual foreign body ingestion: Toothbrush

Abstract

Ingestion of toothbrush is an uncommon occurrence and most commonly seen in patients with psychiatric comorbidities and in adolescent girls who
have a medical history of eating disorders such as bulimia or anorexia nervosa who try to induce emesis. Long ingested objects, such as a toothbrush,  cannot pass the gastrointestinal tract spontaneously therefore require endoscopic removal or surgical approach (in cases of unsuccessful endoscopic  removal, development of life threatening complications and resource defective setting). We present a case of a 34-year-old male without mental health  issues, neurological comorbidity or any obvious potential secondary gain, who accidentally ingested a toothbrush during a routine oral hygiene. After  X-ray confirmation, the toothbrush was removed surgically.