Identificación de pacientes con iatrogenias realizadas en otras instituciones, que ingresaron al Servicio de Atención Prioritaria de la Facultad de Odontología de la Universidad de Antioquia en el periodo 2009-1

introduction: dental iatrogeny, defined as an alteration of the health status of a patient caused by a dental professional, is seen even among highly-qualified professionals; therefore, its prevention is a key factor to carry out a conciensous practice in an effort to reduce the number of mistakes. the objective of this study was to document cases of dental iatrogeny performed at outside institutions in patients who were admitted to the emergency service, college of dentistry at university of antioquia in medellín, colombia, during the first semester of 2009 (2009-i). furthermore, to obtain data from the dental history in order to characterize this type of population and provide a correct orientation for this service. methods: 839 complete dental records from the emergency service were reviewed. in the 36 cases with radiographic evidence of iatrogenic procedures, a descriptive statistical analysis was carried out to characterize the affected population. results: after analyzing the dental records with radiographic evidence of iatrogeny, 61.1% corresponded to female patients and 38.9% to male patients. regarding the health care system, 36.1% corresponded to the subsidized system. the following iatrogenic events were observed and they are presented in order of frequency: underfilled endodontic obturations (31.3%), overextended obturations (23.5%), overcontoured restorations (15.6%), coronal leaking, root perforations, poorly-adapted intraradicular elements, overfilled endodontic obturations, vertical root fractures, occlusal trauma, tooth fracture, poorly-handled dental trauma, and undercontoured restorations. conclusions: 4.29% of the dental records reviewed in 2009-1 showed evidence of dental iatrogeny. there was a higher frequency of endodontic problems with referral to the endodontist.