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Case Reports
. 2025 May 16;2025(5):rjaf195.
doi: 10.1093/jscr/rjaf195. eCollection 2025 May.

Case of intestinal obstruction due to accidental ingestion of a silicone rubber dental impression

Yuki Takano  1   2 , Shingo Tachibana  1   2 , Kazuhiko Kasuya  1   2 , Keigo Fugami  3 , Yuichi Nagakawa  2
Affiliations
Case Reports

Case of intestinal obstruction due to accidental ingestion of a silicone rubber dental impression

Yuki Takano et al. J Surg Case Rep. .

Abstract

Accidental ingestion is common and can even necessitate surgery. An 89-year-old man with dementia presented with abdominal distension and pain. A CT scan revealed a high-intensity object in the terminal ileum with distension of the proximal small intestine. Colonoscopy showed ileus caused by a retained foreign body (FB), which was removed via laparotomy the following day. Chemical analysis identified the material of the FB as platinum silicone rubber. Based on its material and irregular shape, the FB was determined to be a dental impression. The patient had dentures made one year prior, and cognitive decline may have contributed to the incident. Platinum silicone, which is odorless and does not deform with body heat or digestive juices, maybe a common cause of accidental ingestion.

Keywords: accidental ingestion; dental impressions; foreign body; intestinal obstruction; silicone material.

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Conflict of interest statement

None declared.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Abdominal CT and colonoscopy. (a) A highly dense mass with fine, low-density spots inside the lumen of the terminal ileum (arrowhead) on the colonal slice of plane CT. (b) The ileum lumen 20 cm proximal from the ileocecal valve was completely occupied by a whitish FB with a hard elasticity and smooth surface when visualized using a colonoscope.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Macroscopic findings of the removed FB after formalin fixation the surface was yellowish-white and irregularly uneven, and the elasticity was similar to that of a plastic eraser.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Infrared absorption spectrum. (a) Commercially available silicone rubber. (b) Extracted FB. The patterns of the spectrum wavelengths of both were almost the same. The vertical and horizontal axes show the transmittance (%) and wave number (cm−1), respectively. Wave number = reciprocal of wavelength (cm).
Figure 4
Figure 4
Elemental analysis using X-ray fluorescence diffraction. (a) Platinum (Pt) as a control. (b) Extracted FB. The peak position (2Θ) of the control and FB was 39.045°a) and 38.047°, respectively, and the peak intensity was 0.262 of the X-ray intensity (kcp). The vertical and horizontal axes show kcps and spectral angles of 2Θ, respectively.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Infrared absorption spectrum. (a) Commercially available dental impression. (b) Extracted FB. The two spectra coincided. The vertical and horizontal axes show the transmittance (%) and wave number (cm−1), respectively.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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