Danger score versus ER volume
Danger score versus ER volume
According to CPSC NEISS 2005-2024, Toothpicks Or Hors D'oeuvres Picks ranks #370 of 838 by danger score (36/100) at ER-volume #248 of 838 (7,283/yr). They are not the same ranking.
- #370
- danger rank of 838
- #248
- ER-volume rank of 838
- 36/100
- danger score
- 7,283/yr
- estimated ER visits (avg)
Danger score combines injury volume, hospitalization, fatality, and five-year trend. ER volume is the average annual NEISS estimate alone. Rank 1 is highest on each list.
Where this category's danger score sits nationally
Danger score (36/100) across 838 scored CPSC product categories
36 Around the middle lower than 44% of 838 product categories
scored CPSC product categories, bucketed by value
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more product categories. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source CPSC NEISS, PlainSafety danger-score model · 2024
Composite verdict
Composite Safety Score: 45/100
One verdict blending 4 independently-sourced dimensions from two separate CPSC systems, each benchmarked against all 838 scored product categories by percentile rather than raw value, so no single huge-volume category can dominate the scale.
| Dimension | Value | National percentile | Weight applied | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Injury severity (hospitalization + fatality blend) | 5 | 47th | 35% | CPSC NEISS 20-year severity index |
| Annual ER injury volume | 7,283 | 65th | 30% | CPSC NEISS estimated annual ER-treated injuries |
| 5-year injury trend | -24% | 28th | 15% | CPSC NEISS 5-year % change in ER-treated injuries |
| Consumer incident reports | 2 | 25th | 20% | CPSC SaferProducts.gov public incident report count |
Methodology: each dimension is ranked against the full population's p10/p25/p50/p75/p90 breakpoints and interpolated to a 0-100 percentile; the composite is the weighted average of available percentiles. See methodology for the full benchmark table.
Where 145,677 estimated ER injuries land on the body
Body-part shares from the same CPSC NEISS injury_types extract for product code 431. Segments sum to 145,677 - a body-map mix, not a danger score or ER-volume rank.
Two danger lenses
Same-group peer scores and this product's dial
The bars compare PlainSafety danger scores inside the Containers, Tableware & Packaging group (same CPSC NEISS extract). The dial is this product's score alone on the Low/Moderate/High bands. Do not read a peer bar as an ER-visit count.
Containers, Tableware & Packaging danger scores
How this 36/100 score is built
The score is computed from four CPSC-derived factors for toothpicks or hors d'oeuvres picks - no opinion, no editorializing:
- Injury volume 7,283 ER visits/yr Above median volume
- Severity (hospitalization rate) 5.5% Below median admission rate
- Fatality rate 0.00% No recorded fatalities
- 5-year trend-24%
Band labels compare this category against the corpus of 838 scored CPSC product categories, see the full methodology for the exact weighting of each factor.
What the CPSC Data Shows
Across the 20-year NEISS window from 2005 to 2024, injury counts for toothpicks or hors d'oeuvres picks are declining by about 24% over the last five years, with the busiest year on record being 2005 (11,362 estimated ER visits) and the quietest 2022 (3,767 estimated visits). The single most common ER diagnosis is foreign body to the foot, accounting for approximately 45,127 visits across the 20-year NEISS window, followed by puncture to the foot (29,404 cases). The 5-14 age group absorbs the largest share of injuries, about 38,036 cases over the NEISS window, and males appear slightly more often than the opposite sex in that cohort. Severity outcomes from the NEISS disposition field show that 5.5% of ER visits involving this product end in hospital admission or transfer.
Beyond the hospital-sampled NEISS projections, this page also aggregates 2 consumer incident reports filed directly on SaferProducts.gov, plus 20 anonymized ER narratives - together forming a layered picture of how toothpicks or hors d'oeuvres picks fail in real households. Every figure on this page comes from CPSC-published data: NEISS projects national estimates from a probability sample of about 100 U.S. hospital emergency departments, while SaferProducts.gov collects voluntary reports from consumers, manufacturers, and clinicians. The danger score, trend indicators, and demographic breakdowns update automatically when CPSC releases a new yearly NEISS file, which is why this page is dated 2024-12-31. For regulatory context, consult CPSC recall notices and the SaferProducts.gov public database linked below.
Annual Injury Estimates (2005–2024)
Source: CPSC NEISS national estimates Injuries represent ER-treated cases only
Who Gets Injured?
| Age Group | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-4 | 5,513 | 4,604 | |
| 5-14 | 19,675 | 18,361 | |
| 15-24 | 8,822 | 8,938 | |
| 25-34 | 8,814 | 9,596 | |
| 35-44 | 6,267 | 9,467 | |
| 45-54 | 7,316 | 9,397 | |
| 55-64 | 7,601 | 6,920 | |
| 65-74 | 3,533 | 3,974 | |
| 75+ | 3,690 | 3,177 |
Most Common Injuries
| Body Part | Diagnosis | Est. Injuries |
|---|---|---|
| Foot | Foreign Body | |
| Foot | Puncture | |
| Internal | Ingestion | |
| Foot | Other | |
| Toe | Foreign Body | |
| Internal | Aspiration | |
| Ear | Foreign Body | |
| Toe | Puncture | |
| Ear | Other | |
| Mouth | Dental Injury | |
| Mouth | Other | |
| Mouth | Foreign Body | |
| Hand | Foreign Body | |
| Finger | Foreign Body | |
| Toe | Other |
Severity Breakdown
ER Visit Narratives
Real anonymized emergency room reports from the CPSC NEISS database.
2YOF THAT WAS BROUGHT IN TO THE ER BY PARENTS FOR CONCERN THAT SHE MAY HAVE SWALLOWED A TOOTHPICK. THE PATIENT RAN UP TO HER MOTHER AND WAS GAGGING. DX: POSSIBLE ACCIDENTAL FOREIGN BODY INGESTION.
6YOF, TOOTHPICK IMPELLED BETWEEN 1ST 2 TOES ON RIGHT FOOT DX: NO DX, ELOPEMENT
78 YOM WITH LEFT HAND PAIN AFTER PRICKING HIMSELF WITH A TOOTHPICK TO HIS LEFT PALM 6 DAYS PTA. DX HAND ABSCESS, HAND CELLULITIS
7YOM HAS A TOOTHPICK IMBEDDED IN RIGHT FOOT DX:FOREIGN BODY RIGHT FOOT
24 YOM INADVERTENTLY SWALLOWED CHICKEN WITH 2 WOODEN TOOTHPICKS IN IT. DX: SWALLOWED FOREIGN BODY, WOODEN TOOTHPICK.
69 YOM RIGHT FOOT PAIN WORSENING OVER THE PAST WEEK AFTER ACCIDENTALLY STEPPED ON A TOOTHPICK AND IT BROKE OFF. STATES HE TRIED TO GET ALL OF IT OUT BUT HE DOES NOT KNOW IF HE DID. STATES A FEW DAYS AFTER THE INCIDENT IT STARTED SWELLING REALLY BAD. DX CELLULITIS FOOT RIGHT, PUNCTURE WOUND RIGHT FOOT WITH FOREIGN BODY, LEUKOCYTOSIS, UTI
21YOF PT STEPPED ON TOOTHPICK THAT WAS IN PT'S SANDWICH - WHICH FELL TO FLOOR; PT WAS BAREFOOT DX: PUNCTURE WOUND TO LEFT FOOT
21 YOM ACCIDENTALLY SWALLOWED A TOOTHPICK THAT HE HAD IN HIS MOUTH. +FOREIGN BODY SENSATION. DX FOREIGN BODY SENSATION
72 YOM COMES TO ED FOR POSSIBLE INGESTION OF A TOOTHPICK, HAD ONE IN MOUTH WHILE DOING STUFF AROUND THE HOUSE, BENT OVER AND TOOTHPICK DISAPPEARED, DX: POSSIBLE FOREIGN BODY INGESTION
8 YOF STEPPED ON TOOTHPICK IN CARPET DX PUNCTURE WOUND FOOT
27 YOM WAS CHEWING ON A TOOTHPICK AND ACCIDENTALLY SWALLOWED A PIECE OF TOOTHPICK 4-5 HOURS AGO, HAS A SHARP SENSATION IN HIS THROAT. DX: FOREIGN BODY SENSATION IN THE THROAT
26YOM PRESENTS WITH FOREIGN BODY IN THE LEFT HEEL, PATIENT WALKED ON A TOOTHPICK AND IT BROKE OFF IN HIS FOOT. PATIENT STATES THAT HE DID GO TO HIS PMD TO HAVE TWO PEICES OF THE TOOTH PICK REMOVED, HE PRESENTED TODAY DUE TO MORE PAIN WHILE TRYING TO WALK. RETREIVAL OF THE REST OF TOOTHPICK WAS UNSUCCESFUL. WAS RECOMMENDED WARM WATER SOAK WITH EPSOM SALT. DX: FOREIGN BODY IN FOOT.
Consumer Incident Reports
Reports filed by consumers on SaferProducts.gov.
Toothpicks bought at Publix supermarket in [REDACTED]. Country or origin China, brand Premier Stylz trademark of Unique IND Inc. Philadelphia Pa. places toothpick on fruit and in 20 seconds my sons mouth turned blue. What kinda of blue dye is on this product. No labeling is on bottle.
The consumer stated that all of the toothpicks have splinters. The consumer stated that she had incidents where the splinters were stuck in her teeth. The consumer used tweezer to take the splinter out. The consumer purchased multiple boxes over some period of time. The consumer stated that most of the toothpicks have splinters. The consumer stated that when she called the retailer they informed her that they do not sell this product. The consumer contacted the retailer at 337-893-6485.
Product Recalls
Search for active and past recalls related to toothpicks or hors d'oeuvres picks on the CPSC website.
Compare beyond Containers, Tableware & Packaging
Nationwide peers by danger score, ER volume & hospitalization
Three PlainSafety-derived comparison paths for Toothpicks Or Hors D'oeuvres Picks: cross-group products nearest on danger score (36/100), estimated annual ER visits (7,283/yr), and hospitalization share (5.5%). Same-group neighbours stay in Related Products above.
Similar danger score
Nearest cross-group products by PlainSafety danger score (100-point scale).
Similar ER visit volume
Nearest cross-group products by NEISS estimated annual ER visits.
Similar hospitalization rate
Nearest cross-group products by % of NEISS ER visits resulting in hospital admission.
Related Products in Containers, Tableware & Packaging
Read with this product
About this data
CPSC National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) 2005–2024 and SaferProducts.gov consumer incident reports form the basis of this page. Injury estimates are based on a nationally representative probability sample of U.S. hospital emergency departments.
According to PlainSafety's CPSC NEISS corpus ranking, Toothpicks Or Hors D'oeuvres Picks ranks #370 of 838 scored CPSC product categories by PlainSafety danger score and #248 of 838 by 20-year estimated ER injury volume.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where does toothpicks or hors d'oeuvres picks rank on danger score versus ER volume?
Among 838 scored CPSC product categories, toothpicks or hors d'oeuvres picks ranks #370 by PlainSafety danger score (36/100) and #248 by 20-year estimated ER injury volume (7,283/yr). The two rankings come from the same NEISS extract and are not the same order.
What are the most common injuries from toothpicks or hors d'oeuvres picks?
The most common injury is foreign body to the foot, accounting for approximately 45,127 injuries over 20 years.
Are injuries from toothpicks or hors d'oeuvres picks increasing or decreasing?
Down 24% over 5 years.
Who is most at risk for toothpicks or hors d'oeuvres picks injuries?
The 5-14 age group accounts for the most injuries, with approximately 38,036 cases recorded over 20 years. Males are more frequently injured in this age group.
What happens when someone is injured by toothpicks or hors d'oeuvres picks?
Of all ER visits involving toothpicks or hors d'oeuvres picks, approximately 5.5% result in hospital admission. The majority of patients (94.5%) are treated and released from the emergency department.
How can I report a safety problem with toothpicks or hors d'oeuvres picks?
You can file a consumer incident report at SaferProducts.gov, the official CPSC reporting portal. Reports help the CPSC identify emerging hazards and trigger investigations or recalls. You can also call the CPSC hotline at 1-800-638-2772.
PlainSafety is rendered directly from U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission recall and incident records, no number is typed in by an editor. Product recall timelines and hazard labels are drawn from CPSC recall records for this product. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.