title: Oral injuries in victims involving intimate partner violence.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Current literature states that dental medicine can have an important role in diagnosing situations of domestic violence, namely cases of intimate partner violence, since many of the injuries that occur in this context concern the head and neck areas. The aim of this study was to characterize oral injuries in these cases in a Portuguese population, and to determine the kind of permanent consequences that they might represent.
  
  
  METHODS
  332 forensic reports of domestic violence survivors were analysed. The reports concerned examinations performed in the North Branch of the National Institute of Legal Medicine of Portugal in 2007. Reports were assessed in order to obtain data regarding victim and offender demographic characteristics, and to characterize the nature and number of sustained injuries and their permanent consequences.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Most victims were females with a mean age of 33.7 years; the most frequent offender was the spouse; the majority of oral injuries affected soft tissues; permanent body consequences were found mainly in the teeth and periodontal tissues; permanent functional consequences were described as chewing difficulties, feeling pain or soft tissue mobility changes; permanent consequences for life activities referred mostly to social life aspects.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Oral injuries and their consequences were observed in 13.4% of intimate partner violence cases, and though being suggestive of this kind of violence, oral injuries alone are insufficient to identify this kind of abuse, and additional diagnostic criteria and evidence should be used.
authors.affiliation: Faculdade de Medicina Dentária da Universidade do Porto, Rua Dr. Manuel Pereira da Silva, 4200-393 Porto, Portugal. icaldas@fmd.up.pt
authors.forename: Inês Morais
authors.initials: IM
authors.lastname: Caldas
authors.forename: Ana Clara
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Grams
authors.forename: Américo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Afonso
authors.forename: Teresa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Magalhães
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D017579:Domestic Violence / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D005554:Forensic Medicine; D006801:Humans; D015601:Injury Severity Score; D008297:Male; D008409:Mastication; D008875:Middle Aged; D009055:Mouth / Q000293:injuries*; D010146:Pain / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D011174:Portugal / Q000453:epidemiology; D012928:Social Desirability; D017695:Soft Tissue Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology; D018677:Tooth Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology*; D055815:Young Adult