MORAIS, Hécio Henrique Araújo de et al. Immediate treatment of mandibular fracture caused by gunshot. RGO, Rev. gaúch. odontol. (Online) []. 2010, 58, 3, pp. 399-403. ISSN 1981-8637.

Gunshot wounds can result in devastating aesthetic and functional consequences for the victims of this type of trauma. Many factors influence this type of injury, making initial care and definitive treatment complex because of its unpredictability. For a long time, maxillofacial surgeons believed that a more conservative initial approach was better, limited only to the cleaning of wounds and maxillomandibular fixation. Other approaches would be performed if needed and after the initial period of the first trauma was over. However, contemporary literature shows a trend to replace closed treatment by open treatment and a functionally stable internal fixation, which allows patients to resume their normal lives as soon as possible. The objective of this work was to review the technical aspects involved in the immediate treatment of this type of patient, as well as to report two cases in which the initial conduct was the definitive treatment.

: firearms; fracture fixation internal; mandible.