ObjectivesThe present study reports a case of late mandibular fracture due to third molar extraction and highlights the inherent clinical, ethical and legal aspects related to this surgical complication.Material and MethodsA female patient underwent surgical procedure for the extraction of the mandibular right third molar. Two days after the surgery the patient reported pain and altered occlusion in the right side of the mandible. After clinical and radiographic re-examination, the diagnosis of late mandibular fracture was established. A second surgery, under general anaesthesia, was performed for the fixation of the mandibular bone.ResultsThe fractured parts were reduced and fixed with locking plate systems and 2 mm screws following load-sharing principles. The masticatory function showed optimal performance within 7 and 21 days after the surgery. Complete bone healing was observed within 1 year of follow-up.ConclusionsFor satisfactory surgical outcomes, adequate surgical planning and techniques must be performed. Signed informed consents explaining the risks and benefits of the treatment must be used to avoid ethical and legal disputes in dentistry.
RESUMEN: Frente a casos complejos de identificación humana, como cuerpos en avanzado estado de descomposición, la aplicación de técnicas odontológicas se hace necesaria para establecer la identidad de una persona desaparecida. En este sentido, la existencia y obtención de registros odontológicos ante-mortem de una supuesta víctima, así como el análisis de las particularidades odontológicas del respectivo cadáver, puede constituirse en una posibilidad rápida y de bajo costo para la realización de pericias odontológicas de identificación humana. El objetivo de este relato es presentar un caso pericial, demostrando la importancia de los modelos de yeso para la identificación positiva de un cuerpo putrefacto, discutiendo los aspectos inherentes alarchivo y descarte de los mismos, después de su uso clínico. Los modelos de yeso odontológicos resultan sustanciales para el diagnóstico, planeamiento y ejecución de determinados tratamientos, debiendo ser almacenados en medio físico o digital. De igual manera, poseen relevante potencial para la identificación humana, al permitir, de forma confiable, la evaluación tridimensional de los dientes, sus posiciones en los arcos dentales y las peculiaridades odontológicas eventualmente presentes.
Human identification may be achieved through fingerprint, teeth and DNA analyses. In these approaches, identification is given comparatively -between antemortem (AM) and postmortem (PM) data. Intraoral photographs, commonly used in Orthodontics, represent a source of dental identifiers in Forensic Dentistry. The present study aims to report a case of human identification founded on the analysis of intraoral photographs. An unknown human body was referred for cadaveric examination, which revealed all the permanent teeth fully erupted in the oral cavity. Among the distinctive dental traits, occlusal amalgam restorations were observed in the mandibular first molars, as well fixed orthodontic appliances with bands in the same teeth. Intraoral photographs were provided by the relatives of the potential victim. In these photographs, the same distinctive dental traits were observed leading to a positive identification without explainable discrepancies. The use of intraoral photographs for forensic purposes must be encouraged in medicolegal institutes because these are practical, low-cost, absent of radiation and reliable tools in the human identification process.
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