Case 71: Punch to the face
An 18 year old young man had been drinking with mates when an argument became heated. He was punched in the face.
1.What is the abnormality?
Fractured mandible. There is a displaced fracture at the angle of the mandible on the left side. It is difficult to see on the view if there is a corresponding fracture on the other side.
2.Where is the fracture?
There is a displaced fracture at the angle of the mandible on the left side.
3.The patient notices numbness on the lower lip on the ipsilateral side. What has happenened?
It is likely that the patient has injured the inferior alveolar nerve on that side as it travels in the mandibiular canal. The terminal branch of the is nerve (the mental nerve) exiting from the mental foramen is sensory to that side of the chin and lower lip.
