Potential danger of toothbrushes for children

Toothbrush, the innocent cleaning aid, has been reported to cause life threatening oropharyngeal injuries in pediatric literature. A case of a 4-year-old child reporting to an emergency department with a toothbrush impaled in her mouth while her father was forcefully brushing her teeth is reported here. Hemostasis was achieved by digital pressure and the impaled toothbrush was removed surgically. Uneventful recovery was noted. Parental anxiety and a lack of patient cooperation was noted. Such impaled objects fractured and left behind have been reported to cause serious space infections and mediastinitus. Advising parents to be careful with their children's toothbrush is important as prevention of injuries from such commonly used object could be easily achieved.