Resumo

SILVA, Mona Lisa Cordeiro Asselta da et al. Traumatic dental injuries in children and adolescents victims of violence examined at the Institute of Forensic Medicine of Feira de Santana, Bahia. RFO UPF [online]. 2016, vol.21, n.1, pp. 31-37. ISSN 1413-4012.

Objective: To draw the epidemiological profile of children and adolescents who presented physical violence as etiological factor of dental trauma. Subjects and method: Case study of children (0-11 years old) and adolescents (12-18 years old) victims of violence under consideration of personal injury, and examined by forensic dental experts at the Institute of Forensic Medicine (Instituto Médico Legal - IML) of Feira de Santana, Bahia, Brazil. Secondary data was used from January 1, 2007 to December 31, 2014. Results: From 2007 to 2014, forensic dentists examined 107 physical violence cases involving children and adolescents, at the IML of Feira de Santana - Bahia, Brazil. From these cases, 39.2% presented dental injuries, all of them caused by blunt instrument. The years of 2011 and 2012 had the highest number of victims (21.5%), whereas highest prevalence of dental trauma occurred in 2011 (20.0%). Fifty-seven (53.3%) victims were women and 86 (80.4%) were adolescents (12-18 years old). Regarding skin color of the victim, 76 (76.8%) were brown. Thirty-six (83.7%) offenders were not family members and 37 (50.7%) victims were assaulted in the street. Thirty-three (32.7%) victims had two injuries and 10 of these (30.3%) were dental traumas. The arm was mostly used to cause traumatic dental injuries. Conclusion: The majority of physical violence victims who suffered dental trauma were brown adolescent men. In most cases, the offenders had no bond with the family of the victim, and the higher prevalence of assaults occurred in the street. Victims who presented two injuries were the ones who suffered the highest number of dental trauma, which were mostly caused by hand punches.

Palavras-chave : Children.; Dental trauma.; Dentists.; Violence..