Bursting of the upper jaw prosthesis and fractures of the lower jaw as indirect injury pattern caused by a headshot: a case report

Gunshots to the human body can cause direct and indirect injuries. Direct injuries are a consequence of the projectile guiding its way through the body, creating a permanent wound channel and thereby damaging the penetrated as well as the adjacent tissue. In addition, the temporary wound cavity is responsible for indirect injuries occurring distant to the actual wound tract. This can potentially affect different types of tissue, like blood vessels, organs, or bones, that are not directly passed through by the projectile. For this case report, we describe a suicidal headshot to the temporal area where the extension of the temporary wound cavity and its subsequent collapse led to massive energy transfer to the surrounding tissue leading to breakage of the upper dental prosthesis and fractures of the lower jaw. Thereby outlining the ballistic mechanisms causing indirect injury pattern that have to be considered when examining gunshot wounds.