Most people have swallowed a bit of toothpaste at some point—but a toothbrush?
That’s reportedly what happened to a 64-year-old man from China’s Anhui province, according to the South China Morning Post.
The man, identified by his surname Yang, went to see a doctor after feeling an unusual sensation in his stomach. During the examination, doctors made a startling discovery: a 17-centimeter toothbrush lodged in his small intestine.
Yang said he had accidentally swallowed the toothbrush when he was 12 years old but had been too afraid to tell his parents. He assumed it would eventually dissolve on its own.
Incredibly, the toothbrush remained in his digestive system for 52 years without causing significant issues—until recently. Doctors performed an endoscopic procedure and removed the toothbrush in about an hour and 20 minutes.
Dr. Zhou, one of the attending physicians, noted that such a foreign object could have punctured intestinal tissue, which might have been fatal.
While Yang’s case is extraordinary, it’s not entirely without precedent. In 2017, The Daily Mail reported on a woman in China’s Fujian Province who allegedly swallowed seven toothbrushes. Xiao Yun, then 31, developed an eating disorder amid intense pressure from her parents to get married.
Her stress led to increasingly erratic behavior, including consuming inedible objects like bracelets, buttons, and rubber bands. Despite her strange habits, her parents didn’t seek medical help until she began suffering from abdominal pain.
Doctors discovered severe inflammation and swelling in her intestines. Some of the toothbrushes had pierced her gastrointestinal wall, even damaging her liver. She required multiple surgeries, including the removal of parts of her intestines.
Dr. Chen Xianqiang explained to Yun’s parents, “Pica disorder, an appetite for non-edible substances, can be a sign of psychological problems. Patients tend to suffer the illness when they release stress from an emotional breakdown.”
