Hard or sharp foreign objects in food may cause traumatic injury including laceration and perforation of tissues of the mouth, tongue, throat, stomach and intestine as well as damage to the teeth and gums. From 1972 through 1997, the FDA Health Hazard Evaluation Board evaluated approximately 190 cases of hard or sharp foreign objects in food. These include cases of both injury and non-injury reported to FDA. The Board found that foreign objects that are less than 7 mm, maximum dimension, rarely cause trauma or serious injury except in special risk groups such as infants, surgery patients, and the elderly.
