Oral Surgery · patient case question
The broad, raw, scraped area on the chin is best classified as which type of soft tissue injury?
Patient case: Face-First Fall on Concrete
Patient: 34-year-old male
Chief Complaint: “I tripped and landed on my face on the sidewalk.”
Background: Healthy. No loss of consciousness, no nausea, no visual disturbance. Tetanus status current. Injury occurred approximately 5 hours ago.
Medications: None
Vital Signs: BP 128/78 mmHg · HR 84 bpm · RR 16 · T 98.4°F
Findings: Chin shows a broad, raw, superficially scraped area with punctate bleeding and embedded grit. The inner surface of the lower lip has a full-thickness tear with irregular edges. Teeth #7 and #8 are fractured with frank pulp exposure, tender to percussion, mature apices. Tooth #6 is intact, non-mobile, responds normally to cold, with no radiographic changes.
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: A. Abrasion
- A. Correct. An abrasion is a superficial wound produced by frictional rubbing away of the epithelium, leaving a raw bleeding surface. Foreign debris embedded in the wound is characteristic and must be scrubbed out to prevent traumatic tattooing.
- B. Incorrect. A contusion is a bruise — subcutaneous bleeding with the surface epithelium intact. There is no open surface, and no debris can enter.
- C. Incorrect. A laceration is a tear through tissue produced by a sharp or shearing force. It is a discrete cut with depth, not a broad superficial scrape.
- D. Incorrect. An avulsion is the complete tearing away of a segment of tissue, leaving a defect. Nothing has been removed from the chin.