Evaluation of Jaw Fracture Cases of Ege University Dentistry Faculty, Department of Oral-Maxillofacial Surgery in Between 2004-2010 Retrospectively and a General View of Dentists Legal Responsibilities in These Cases As a Point of Forensic Traumatology

Purpose: This study aimed creating a data base of similar investigations by evaluating the detected cases of jaw fractures in between 2004-2010 at Ege University Dentistry Faculty, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery retrospectively and giving informations about dentists legal responsibilities and forensic procedure in these mostly forensic cases. Material and Methods: The records between the years 2004-2010 were examined retrospectively in according to age, gender, date of consult, divisions of the cases according to months and years, cause of injury and lesion localisation and the datas which were gathered were analyzed using descriptive and frequency analyzing methods with “SPSS For Windows 15.0” programme. Results: 182 cases were consulted to polyclinic. 131 of these (72%) were men and 51 of these (28%) were women. Whereas the most consult was in 2005 (19.8%), the least consult was in 2010 (7.7%). June (12.6%) was the month in which most consult had been done. 20-39 age margine (53.3%) is the most common one. Whereas falling down (34.1%) took attention as the most common cause of injury, the most common lesion was mandibula condyle fracture. If some of the inj uriescaused by traffic accidents (30.8%), assaults (23.1%), falling down in suspicious cases are evaluated together, it will be seen that most of these jaw fracture cases caused by maxillofacial traumas have forensic properties. Conclusion: Soft tissue lacerations, dentoalveolar, mandibular, nasal and the other bone fractures caused by maxillofacial traumas are mostly both emergent and forensic cases that dentists so often faced with. Increasing the studies performed by both dentist and forensic medic inespecialists will create a database for learning threatment and judical process. In addition, because most of theese cases have forensic properties, the legal sides of this cases were pointed.