EPIDEMIOLOGICAL PROFILE OF ORAL AND MAXILLOFACIAL TRAUMA VICTIMS EXAMINED IN LEGAL MEDICINE AND CRIMINALISTICS SERVICES IN BRAZIL - AN INTEGRATIVE REVIEW

Abstract

Strong and rapid urbanization, without investment in infrastructure and industrialization, generated social problems expressed in violence and traffic accidents, with a consequent increase in the appearance of oral and maxillofacial injuries. In the presence of these injuries, the dentist is the qualified professional to carry out the examination and avoid underreporting of these injuries. The present study aimed to establish the profile of oral and maxillofacial trauma victims examined in Legal Medicine and Criminalistics Services in Brazil and to relate the main epidemiological data found in the national literature such as sex, age group, type of oral and maxillofacial injury, and anatomical region affected. An integrative review was carried out, and the following Portuguese keywords were used: "Odontologia Legal", "Serviço Médico Legal", "Trauma Maxilofacial," and the following English keywords: "Forensic Odontology" and "Forensic Dentistry," "Forensic Services," and "Maxillofacial Injuries". The main results of the 16 selected articles were presented in a summary. It was observed that the epidemiological profile of oral and maxillofacial trauma victims examined in Legal Medicine and Criminalistics Services in Brazil was mostly made-up male adults, aged 20 to 29 years. The most frequently cited injuries were bruises, abrasions and dental fractures. The most cited anatomical region was that involving the soft tissues of the face