Inclusion of dental fragment in tongue for firearm injury

Abstract

The increasing in the number of facial fractures victims caused by shot guns due to urban violence became an important concern on urgency services. The understanding of this kind of lesion involves knowledge of ballistics biophysics in order to plan suitable treatment. In front of these considerations, patients injured by this kind of accident presents specific needs of treatment for a satisfactory case evolution. The principles for treatment of patients with facial wounds caused by shot gun are divided in three steps: primary (urgency), intermediate (clinical support) and reconstructive. This paper presents interesting topics about the management of gunshot wounds and describes a clinical case of inclusion of a dental fragment inside the tongue, diagnosed in a patient, seven months after he has been reached by a projectile on mandibular body.