[When the denture becomes dangerous!]

Although rare in adults, foreign body aspiration (FBA) is a serious accident which can be potentially life threatening or lead to significant sequelae. We report the case of a 50 year old patient without previous pathological history, presenting to the emergency department with chest pain, intermittent cough and exertional dyspnea occurring six days after the accidental aspiration of his plastic dental prosthesis during a meal. Clinical examination was unremarkable. Chest X-ray as well as abdominal x-ray requiring no prior preparation showed no abnormalities. Flexible bronchoscopy under general anesthesia showed FBA at the level of the intermediate trunk. Successful extraction was performed avoiding a much more invasive procedure. Standard X-ray can be useful to visualize radio-opaque FBA or indirect signs suggesting the presence of FBA, but diagnostic and therapeutic bronchoscopyis is essential.