Fractured jaw undetected
Janice fell and suffered a deep cut to her chin, causing pain in her jaw and nausea. She attended the A&E department of her local hospital, where her wound was cleaned and closed. However, she was not referred to the maxillofacial team, which specialises in such injuries, and no x-rays were performed.
Over the next two months the pain in Janice’s jaw improved, but she became aware that her teeth appeared to be in the wrong position. There was also a grinding sensation when she moved her jaw. She sought the advice of her dentist who took x-rays and confirmed that Janice had an undiagnosed fracture of the condyle, the rounded end of her jaw bone, on both her left and right side.
Unfortunately, as the fracture had not been detected when she first attended A&E, it had healed in an incorrect position.
As a result of the delay in treatment of the original fracture, Janice finds it difficult to chew and is now only able to eat a diet of soft foods. However, if the fracture been diagnosed at the outset it is likely she would have made a satisfactory recovery following a period of jaw immobilisation.
Janice successfully pursued a claim for clinical negligence with the assistance of solicitor Caroline Stokes, and the hospital admitted that the fracture should have been diagnosed in A&E.
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