Intraoral penetrating injury due to an unusual foreign body

Foreign body trauma to oral cavity and oropharynx is very common in children. The management would depend on the type of the foreign body and the extent of the injury. Very often the foreign body may lie impacted for a long time and may present with a complication. We here describe a case of intraoral penetrating injury caused by an unusual sharp, long, metallic foreign body in a child. The foreign body was deeply embedded in the oropharynx of this 8-year-old child. Timely removal of the foreign body was done to prevent life threatening complications with the help of radiological tools. The child recovered without any complications and required only observation during the healing phase. X-ray of the nasopharynx can be an important tool to know the depth of penetration of the foreign body. We also discuss the possible complications, which can occur due to penetrating intraoral injury. (C) 2006 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.