The Dangers of Swallowing a Toothpick

  • Context: Medical 
  • Thread starter Thread starter jedishrfu
  • Start date Start date
Click For Summary
SUMMARY

The discussion centers on the dangers of swallowing toothpicks, highlighted by a case where a pro athlete nearly died after ingesting one. Participants shared personal experiences, emphasizing the sharpness of toothpicks compared to other objects like fish bones, which can lead to severe internal injuries. The conversation also touched on the prevalence of toothpicks in sandwiches and the lack of regulations surrounding their use, despite the risks they pose. Participants expressed concern over the potential for serious harm, particularly among children and pets.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of gastrointestinal anatomy and potential hazards of sharp objects.
  • Knowledge of food safety practices, particularly regarding embedded items in food.
  • Familiarity with emergency response techniques for choking and ingestion of foreign objects.
  • Awareness of pet safety and common hazards associated with household items.
NEXT STEPS
  • Research the medical implications of ingesting sharp objects, focusing on case studies involving toothpicks.
  • Explore food safety regulations regarding the use of toothpicks in food service.
  • Learn about emergency procedures for foreign object ingestion in both humans and pets.
  • Investigate alternative methods for securing food items without the use of toothpicks.
USEFUL FOR

This discussion is beneficial for healthcare professionals, food safety regulators, pet owners, and anyone involved in food preparation and consumption, particularly in contexts where sharp objects may pose a risk.

Biology news on Phys.org
I remember back a number of years ago for some reason I had a toothpick in my mouth while warming up for a soccer game. During a sprint for a ball I took a big inhale forgetting about the toothpick and it hit the back of my throat. Fortunately I was able to hack it out, but it scared the hell out of me and I couldn't believe how stupid I was.
 
  • Like
Likes   Reactions: jedishrfu
Yes, I've had close calls with fish bones but not toothpicks and I've had sandwiches with them in it. I usually leave the toothpick in place and eat around it until the final bite whereupon I remove it. I probably should rethink that strategy ie don't eat any sandwiches with toothpicks to be safe. :-)

For fishbones if swallowed, the recommended strategy was to eat balled up rice to dislodge it.
 
You're talking about toothpicks? I can give you a greater variety. Every month or so, our regional newspaper has at least one article on some child swallowing something. The "something" includes:
  • Whistles
  • Ear studs
  • Nuts and bolts
  • Spoons
  • and miscellaneous other household items
Once, doctors recovered some eighty stones from the stomach of a person who was not mentally stable.

All these take place mainly in the villages and towns, and almost all the surgeries are done by one government hospital in Kolkata. We jokingly say that the hospital specialises in these surgeries.

So, toothpicks are nothing serious here.
 
I think the difference here is the toothpick wreaks havoc with you internals organs due to its sharpness in ways that rounded objects do not. Especially in the US, its common to get sandwiches, specialty hamburgers, croissants... with embedded toothpicks to prevent the sandwich from falling apart before its eaten.

With grownups often not paying attention to what they eat or what their kids eat its a disaster waiting to happen.

I had a dog die because he ate a raw mini steak with an embedded steel pin to hold the bacon on the steak. He grabbed it off of the counter when we weren't looking and ran to his crate to finish it off. The vet tried several things including induced vomiting but the steak pin remained in his gut and the vet said he would bleed to death if we didn't remove it and that there was a good chance the dog with his age wouldn't survive an operation like that.
 
Who knows if "real" cases are the basis for TV medical shows, but, one had a toothpick episode where the "wood" became so wet from body fluids it was not able to be seen using MRI/CT/Xray. Part of the episode has the sharp end migrating through the stomach into other organs.

Can that really happen?
 
jedishrfu said:
Especially in the US, its common to get sandwiches, specialty hamburgers, croissants... with embedded toothpicks to prevent the sandwich from falling apart before its eaten.
I will keep that in mind if I visit the US.

I feel sorry for the dog. If so many injuries occur due to swallowing toothpicks without knowing that it is hidden in the food, why isn't this banned? I believe there are other ways to hold together sandwiches.
 
Its not banned because its a fancy toothpick with some colorful plastic on top to make it stand out. I am sure its pretty seldon that someone actually does swallow one. However it takes only one bad time to regret it much like running with scissors. :-)

I do know sometimes folks have a bad habit of rolling one around in the mouth:

https://www.postandcourier.com/news...cle_71a46ce2-a0e7-5d43-a7a0-aaa125f9f0a8.html

Here's a celebrity with one so you know others will imitate:

toothpick.jpg


https://www.gq.com/story/mint-toothpicks

173212_1.1523978669.jpg
-turkey-ham-bacon-cheese-lettuce-and-tomato-sandwich-on-whole-grain-wheat-bread-with-fancy-red-t.jpg
 

Attachments

  • toothpick.jpg
    toothpick.jpg
    8.9 KB · Views: 2,472
  • 173212_1.1523978669.jpg
    173212_1.1523978669.jpg
    11.8 KB · Views: 1,224
  • -turkey-ham-bacon-cheese-lettuce-and-tomato-sandwich-on-whole-grain-wheat-bread-with-fancy-red-t.jpg
    -turkey-ham-bacon-cheese-lettuce-and-tomato-sandwich-on-whole-grain-wheat-bread-with-fancy-red-t.jpg
    42 KB · Views: 1,211
  • Like
Likes   Reactions: Wrichik Basu
Wrichik Basu said:
I feel sorry for the dog. If so many injuries occur due to swallowing toothpicks without knowing that it is hidden in the food, why isn't this banned? I believe there are other ways to hold together sandwiches.
I had a dog that ate all kinds of stupid things, fortunately only causing temporary problems.
They included:
  • poop (probably more disgusting than harmful)
  • a round piece of broken glass about 1.5 inches in diameter (came out in poop)
  • one of those flat plastic bag closures (common on bags of bread in the US)
  • various pieces of wood
  • various pieces of cloth (these can be bad)
Dogs often don't seem to do a lot of chewing when eating, but just get things small enough to get them down their throat.
I think it would be hard to legislate against their many stupid behaviors.
 
  • Like
Likes   Reactions: Wrichik Basu and jedishrfu
  • #10
Yes, dogs are like three year olds in so many ways.
 

Similar threads

Medical Is colloidal silver a safe and effective treatment for microbial infections?
  • · Replies 1 ·
Replies
1
Views
6K