Citation

Caldas IM, Magalhães T, Afonso A, Matos E. Dent. Traumatol. 2010; 26(6): 484-489.

Affiliation

Dentistry Faculty of Porto University, Porto Forensic Sciences Center - FCT (Science and Technology Foundation), Coimbra National Institute of Legal Medicine - North branch Medical Faculty of Porto University Abel Salazar Biomedical Sciences Institute of Porto University, Porto, Portugal.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2010, John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1111/j.1600-9657.2010.00936.x

PMID

21078073

Abstract

Orofacial injuries resulting from violence are a fairly common event. In Portugal, however, the impact of these injuries remains to be elucidated. This study aims to analyze the injuries and permanent consequences of orofacial trauma (in a three-dimensional perspective: organic, functional and situational), resulting from violence. To do so, a retrospective analysis of all violence-related forensic reports performed in the North Branch of the National Institute of Legal Medicine, during 2007, was carried out (n = 513). It was found that most victims were men with a mean age of 35.4 (SD = 15.1). Most aggressions were due to punches and/or kicks. The most frequent orofacial injuries were lip injuries (57.7%), followed by extra-oral soft tissue injuries (35.9%), gingival and oral mucosa injuries (29.2%), and teeth and/or periodontal injuries (17.5%). The most frequent long-term consequences concerned the teeth and periodontal area (14.0%), followed by the lip area (7.4%), and gingival and oral mucosa tissues (3.9%). In terms of the effect on functions and life situations, it was found that chewing and embarrassment in social life events were the most prevalent (43.6% and 83.6%, respectively). These results showed that orofacial trauma from violence-related events can damage a person's quality of life, especially those concerning the teeth area, as a result of their implications in normal function and in life situations.

Language: en