>

Unbearable toothache: Prisoner escapes to seek dental treatment

Dental Tribune International Story, VÄNERSBORG, Sweden: Four days prior to his release, a 51-year-old escaped from a prison in Sweden. The man, who was suffering from severe pain owing to an inflamed molar, only left the institution for appropriate treatment and afterwards reported straight to the police. As reported by the Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter, the man was serving a one-month sentence at Östragård prison in Vänersborg, a minimum-security institution. His pain had grown worse and his cheek had begun throbbing, but he was not given treatment, despite his complaints. “My whole face was swollen; in the end, I just could not stand the pain anymore,” he told the newspaper. Once he had escaped, the man visited a nearby dental practice to have his tooth extracted before reporting to the police. His imprisonment was extended for a day. The incident occurred at the beginning of November, but has only now been made public. Details about how the prisoner escaped were not disclosed.