Epidemiology and Pattern of Oral and Maxillofacial Trauma

Purpose: Maxillofacial trauma represents a serious public health problem and their epidemiology is extremely variable. The objective of the present study was to analyze and discuss the epidemiological characteristics of 2492 patients with oral and maxillofacial trauma over a 5-year period. Patients and Methods: This retrospective study was conducted at different hospitals of Xinjiang from 2012 to 2016. Data were collected for the cause of injury, age and gender distribution, frequency and type of injury, localization and frequency of soft tissue injuries, dentoalveolar trauma, facial bone fractures, presence of associated injuries, nerve injury, different treatment protocols. All the data were analyzed using statistical analysis that is chi squared test. Statistical analyses performed included descriptive analysis, chi square test, and logistic regression analyses. Results: A total of 2492 maxillofacial trauma patients were seen in 1981 patients with a male to female ratio of 3.88:1. The age group 21 to 30 years accounted for the largest subgroup in both sexes. The most common etiology of the trauma was traffic accident, accounted for 41.8%. The mandible (31.97%) was the most common site of fracture followed by the zygoma (25.3%). The common type associated injuries was limb injury (27.5%), it was followed by brain (24.5%) and eye (21.4%) injuries. The common nerve injury was the facial nerve injury, accounting for 62.9%. Conclusion: The incidence of oral and maxillofacial trauma is related to gender, age, and the cause of trauma. Young adults are the most likely group (P < 0.05). Maxillofacial trauma is often associated with limb, craniocerebral, and eye injuries. Traffic accident is the main cause of maxillofacial injury (P < 0.5).