Original Article

The Epidemiological Characteristics of Maxillofacial Traumas That Apply to the Emergency Department

10.5152/jaem.2011.070

  • Mehtap Gürger
  • Metin Ateşçelik

Received Date: 18.07.2011 Accepted Date: 15.09.2011 Eurasian J Emerg Med 2012;11(2):98-101

Objective:

Maxillofacial traumas are often related to morbidity and functional and easthetic damage of different degrees. While the most common cause is a traffic accident in developing countries, in developed countries interpersonal violence is seen more often. This study aimed to qualify the etiology, incidence and demographic characteristics of maxillofacial traumas and the injuries that accompany them.

Materials and Methods:

The patients with maxillofacial traumas who have attended our emergency department during one year were included in this prospective study. The ages and genders of the patients, causes and types of the trauma were recorded.

Results:

401 patients were included in this study. The average age of the patients was 22.59 (±19.25) and the majority of the cases were men (75.3%). In 63.1 percent of the cases soft tissue traumas, in 15.2 percent eye traumas, in 16.9 percent nasal fracture, in 3.7 percent mandibula fracture, in 2.2 percent maxilla fracture, in 1.5 percent zygomatic fracture and in 1 percent frontal fracture were observed. Falls were recorded as the most common cause of trauma (36.7%), the second assaults (16.9%) and the third was traffic accidents (15.7%). Alcohol consumption was recorded in 3.2 percent of the patients. The most common accompanying trauma was head trauma (15.9%).

Conclusion:

Maxillofacial traumas occur as a result of a fall. The majority of the cases are men and head traumas are also present. In our country, the epidemiological data of these patients is limited, and therefore in this study we aimed to contribute to the epidemiological data.

Keywords: Maxillofacial trauma, epidemiology, emergency department