Man swallows dentures while eating, operated at Doon hospital

Dehradun: In a bizarre incident, 35-year-old Govind Singh from Uttarkashi was operated by ENT specialists at Government Doon Medical College & Hospital (GDMCH) on Saturday after his dentures got stuck in his intestines while he was eating a meal. Doctors operated on him with an endoscopic technique and retrieved the dentures.

Speaking to TOI, Dr Vikas Sikarwar, head of the ENT department at GDMCH said that the patient, who met with an accident a couple of years ago, had a four-piece denture fitted on his upper jaw.

“Ingestion of sharp and pointed objects like animal or fish bones, dentures and needles could lead to perforation of the food passage, which is life-threatening. It is because the food pipe of humans is very delicate and such sharp objects can tear it. Hence, these types of foreign bodies need to be removed urgently by endoscopic or open surgical procedures,’’ said Dr Sikarwar.

He added that “all those who use dentures must get them checked once in three months by dentists.” “If the artificial teeth had gone into the windpipe, it would’ve been fatal for the patient.”

Singh, who has been kept under observation in the intensive care unit, will be discharged after some time.

According to doctors, foreign body ingestion is a common occurrence and the ENT department at GDMCH sees such cases on a regular basis. Those at risk include young children, elderly people and people having intellectual disabilities. Common foreign bodies ingested are coins in case of children and dentures in case of the elderly.