[Maxillo facial injuries in victims of violence at school environment]

This study investigated the presence of injuries in the maxillofacial complex in children and adolescents victims of physical violence in school environment. Forty-two proofs involved children and adolescents victims of physical violence in school in the years of 2003 and 2006 were analyzed. The data had been registered in specific form collecting the following variables: gender, age, perpetrator agent, localization of the injuries in the distinct regions of the body, type and number of injuries, existence of injuries in oral cavity and tissue involvement. It was observed that 61.9% of the victims were male (61.9%), age-group 13 to 17 years the most reached. In most of the cases (92.9%), the perpetrators were friends from school while teachers represented 7.1% of the cases. Injuries around the head and face were present in 69.1% of the sample, with 23.8% of the victims presenting injuries in the buccal cavity, all of the injuries were situated in soft tissues, mainly in the lips. It was evidenced to be high the existence of injuries in the buccal cavity of the victims of aggression in the school environment, confirming the importance of dentistry in the diagnosis of injuries around the head and face of the victims of physical abuse.