A man who swallowed his toothbrush while he was cleaning his teeth has been saved by surgeons in southern China.

Patient Mr Fu, 22, told astonished medics how he had been scrubbing the base of his tongue when the brush slipped out of his hand and down his throat.

As he tried to cough it up, the brush only slipped further and slipped right down into his stomach, reported local media in Putian, a city located in the south-eastern Chinese province of Fujian.

After trying all night he turned to up hospital the next day where surgeon Dr Song Conghua found the brush with a scan.

Luckily, the brush had not caused any internal bleeding, the medic explained, and it was removed during a 30-minute operation with the help of an endoscope.

Only a few months ago, in April, a woman in China swallowed an 18-centimetre-long toothbrush and in her case was so embarrassed she only went to the hospital for help after spending seven hours at work.

The 44-year-old woman, who was not named but hails from the city of Pingtung in the Taiwanese county of the same name, had swallowed the toothbrush early in the morning while preparing for work.

According to the reports, the woman had been very tired and was in a rush to go to work, and explained she was using the wrong angle while brushing her teeth which resulted in swallowing the toothbrush.

The woman went to work and although feeling “uncomfortable”, asked for medical help only after 7 hours.

Dr Cai Yuanrong, who treated the woman, warned of the dangerous consequences if the toothbrush was left inside and advised: “Be careful when you experience spasms and convulsions while brushing your teeth.”

The doctor added that the woman was very grateful for the help and that she took the toothbrush as proof to her friends and family that doubted her experience.