The Importance of Imaging in the Detection of Intraoral Foreign Body

Intraoral foreign bodies (IOFBs) can be seen incidentally on computed tomography (CT) imaging and may mimic pathology. It is therefore important to identify the imaging features of a comestible intraoral foreign body and differentiate them from true pathology to avoid unwarranted patient distress and further imaging or procedures that are unnecessary and costly. This case describes a 31-year-old male who presented to the emergency room following a fall from an eight-foot height, with loss of consciousness for five minutes and right periorbital edema. Subsequent CT imaging of the facial bones revealed multiple facial and orbital fractures as well as a circumscribed, ovoid, hyperdensity with internal air pockets within the inferior left buccal space, which was diagnosed as an intraoral foreign body. Here, we aim to highlight the imaging features of this particular case of comestible intraoral foreign body.