Mystery of the missing denture: An unusual cause of respiratory arrest in a nonagenarian

Abstract

To ask older people about loose or ill-fitting dentures is not common practice during a hospital admission. Our patient presented to the emergency department following a primary respiratory arrest. A dislodged denture was extracted from the hypo-pharynx under local anaesthesia and was presumably the cause of the respiratory arrest. Any delays in finding the missing denture and its extraction could have resulted in the patient being given a general anaesthetic and its associated complications. We suggest that asking about loose-fitting dentures should form part of comprehensive geriatric assessment. © The Author 2005. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Geriatrics Society. All rights reserved.