Traumatic Dental injuries and its Forensic Aspects: A Prospective study at a Tertiary care Teaching Hospital Anu R1, Shubha C2, Srijith3,*, Santhosh CS4 1Department of Prosthodontics, RVS Dental College and Hospital, Coimbatore 2Department of Oral Medicine and Radiology, Bapuji Dental College and Hospital, Davangere 3Department of Forensic Medicine, Karpagam Faculty of Medical Sciences and Research, Coimbatore 4Department of Forensic Medicine, JJM Medical College, Davangere *Corresponding Author, Dr. Srijith, (Associate Professor), Email : srijithfun@gmail.com, Mobile No.: +91 9945785033
Online Published on 26 July, 2024. Abstract A traumatic dental injury is an impact injury to the teeth resulting from traffic accidents, falls, assaults, and sports. Traumatic dental injuries, by affecting a patient's speech and aesthetics, can lead to psychological and social problems, lowering the patient's quality of life. The role of the Forensic expert is to document and describe injuries and assess the quantum of disease and disability suffered. The study aims to analyse the pattern of traumatic dental injuries in a tertiary care teaching hospital and emphasise the medico-legal issues that arise from a Forensic perspective. 62 cases of traumatic dental injuries presenting to the emergency room or the department of Oral Medicine were studied prospectively over a one year period. There was a preponderance of male cases (61%) over female cases. Amaximum number of cases were seen in the adult population (55%). Road traffic accidents (40.4%) were the most common mode of dental trauma. The commonest type of traumatic dental injury observed was uncomplicated crown fractures and maxillary central incisors were the most commonly traumatised teeth. In 12 cases injuries were reported as simple and in 50 cases, they were grievous in nature. To conclude, traumatic dental injuries are preventable, and their prevalence could be reduced when potential risk factors are identified. Meticulous examination and documentation of traumatic dental injuries should result in an accurate, complete and unbiased medico-legal report that will aid in the legal framing of criminal charges against the accused or suspect in question. Top Keywords Forensic aspects, Grievous hurt, Medico-legal report, Traumatic dental injury. Top |