Ingested objects: a case report with review of management and prevention.

The first step to prevent the ingestion of dental instruments or materials is awareness of the potential for this problem. The most common prevention techniques include the use of barriers (such as a rubber dam) and ligation of objects to be used intraorally if they carry some risk of ingestion. Knowledge by the dental team of the signs and symptoms of a swallowed object, retrieval techniques, documentation and proper medical follow-up are all essential to the proper management of ingested objects.