Dental impression material: a rare cause of small-bowel obstruction.

Small-bowel obstruction due to foreign bodies is unusual in adults. Intestinal obstruction is occasionally caused by pits, bezoars, endoscopy capsules, and gastrostomy tube buttons. We report a rare case of distal small-bowel obstruction due to dental impression material. Avoidance of this potentially life-threatening complication may be achieved by increased vigilance in accounting for all impression material when dental impression trays are removed. Early detection of swallowed dental material may afford endoscopic removal from the stomach, thus preventing intestinal obstruction.