Dental fragments in the lips

Fifteen successively presenting cases of dental fragments in the lips were analyzed as to cause, site of injury and relationship to groups of anterior teeth. In each case a lip laceration extended from mucosa to skin. This finding supported the hypothesis that a tooth, having transfixed the affected lip, fractured on emergence from the skin surface on contact with a hard object. Skin wounds were often repaired in general hospitals without detecting the foreign body and prior to seeking a dental opinion.