The Importance of Metallic Residues on Teeth to Determine the Entrance Hole of Shotgun Wounds

Objectives: Determination of the entrance and exit sites in wounds caused by firearms can sometimes be the most important evidence to help procurement of justice. This study was carried out to see if metallic residues from the bullet core can be found on teeth and if the entrance and exit sites can be determined by examining their localization in firearm bullet core injuries with tooth involvement. Study Design: 30 teeth, which were pulled with orders 1, 2 and 3 for orthodontic and prosthetic reasons, were used. A specially designed constant shot contrivance was used for firearm shots. The shots were performed with standard shotgun and full metal jacket cartridges. Shots were made from 40 cm distance and with front to back direction. The teeth were examined with stereomicroscope. Results: Metallic residue traces were found in 47.8% on the front of fractured teeth by microscopic examination. The amount of metallic residues was low in five (21.7%) teeth, moderate in three (13%) and excessive in three teeth (13%). Conclusion: If there is indecision about the shooting direction in cases with teeth involvement, microscopic evaluation should necessarily be made. Thereby, it will be possible to determine the entrance and exit sites by evaluating the localization of metallic residues or particles. Turkish Baslik: Atesli Silah Yaralanmalarinda Giris Deliginin Belirlenmesinde Dis Uzerindeki Metalik Kalintilarin Onemi Anahtar Kelimeler: Dis; giris ve cikis delikleri; atis artigi; metalik kalinti; adli tip Amac: Atesli silah yaralanmalarinda giris ve cikis deliklerinin tayini bazen adaletin saglanmasina yardimci olacak en onemli delil olabilir. Bu calisma; dis yaralanmasi da bulunan olgularda, dis uzerindeki mermi cekirdegine ait olasi metalik izlerin lokalizasyonundan giris ve cikis deliklerinin tespit edilebilecegi dusuncesiyle planlandi. Calisma Plani: Calismada ortodontik ve prostetik nedenlerle cekilmis 30 adet, 1, 2 ve 3 numarali disler kullanildi. Atislarda ozel olarak tasarlanmis bir duzenek kullanildi. Atislarda standart tabanca ve fisekler kullanildi. Atislar 40 cm mesafeden ve onden arkaya dogru yapildi. Kirik disler stereomikroskopta incelendi. Bulgular: Mikroskopik inceleme sonucunda kirik dislerin %47.8a#39;inde on kisimlarinda metalik iz tespit edildi. Metalik izlerin miktari bes (%21.7) diste az, uc (%13) diste orta ve uc (%13) diste cok olarak siniflandirildi. Sonuc: Dis yaralanmasi da bulunan olgularin giris cikis delikleri tayininde kararsizlik varsa mikroskopik inceleme mutlaka yapilmalidir. Boylece metalik kalinti veya partikullerin lokalizasyonu ile giris ve cikis deliklerinin tayini mumkun olabilecektir.