Teenager trips and swallows toothbrush

A 15-year-old girl showed up in the emergency department at an Auckland hospital after accidentally swallowing her 19-centimetre toothbrush, according to a case study published in the New Zealand Medical Journal.

"She was running up some steps with (the) toothbrush in her mouth when she suddenly tripped and fell, pushing most of the brush into her oesophagus," author Dinesh Lal, a gastroenterologist who treated the girl, wrote in the publication.

"She immediately started choking and her younger brother came to help".

"Part of the toothbrush was still in the mouth but with apparently a very strong gag reflex she swallowed this down before it could be pulled out." The girl told doctors she felt fine, but could feel the toothbrush "churning around in her stomach". An X-ray couldn't detect the toothbrush but surgeons were able to spot it lodged in the girl's stomach using a camera lowered down her throat under general anaesthetic. They were then able to grasp the bristle end of the toothbrush using a medical snare and pull it back out through her mouth. There was no internal damage and the girl was able to go home the same day. "In summary, walking or running around with a toothbrush in the mouth is potentially dangerous," Dr Lal wrote.