Serious injuries and dental trauma in the line of police duty and their long-term consequences.

Confrontations between police officers and citizens have become almost commonplace in today's world. The propensity for violence towards police officers is an ongoing topic. Statistics show a clear increase in violent crimes of this nature. The aim of the present study was to evaluate police officers' risk of injury including orofacial involvement in the line of duty. One hundred and sixty-eight members of a regional police corps in northwestern Switzerland were interviewed with the help of an online questionnaire. The data were kept completely anonymous. Survey questions related to police officers' life on and off the job and focused on serious line-of-duty injuries (LODIs) that led to a loss of work time. LODIs resulting in work absences were not uncommon: 60.9% had been injured in the line of duty. During their free time, the officers showed a moderate risk-taking behavior (mean 50, IQR 30-67.2) and a slightly higher level of perceived risk of being injured while on duty (mean 59.1, SD 20). Most line-of-duty injuries occurred during the first 15 years of service. Among the injured police officers, the level of perceived threat of violence while on duty (mean 40, IQR 20-60) was higher than their non-injured colleagues (mean 50, IQR 21.2-60). The most commonly injured body parts were the hands (20.8%), head (14.9%) and knees (11.3%). Dental injuries were reported in only one case (0.6%). Greater work experience seems to improve the reactions and protective behavior of this occupational group in dangerous situations. Albeit the risk of being injured is high among police officers, dental trauma and orofacial involvement occurs rarely.