Retrospective Study on 527 Patients with Maxillofacial Trauma: A 5-year Experience

Moon, Jung Hwan; Kwon, Min Sang; Park, Seong Won; Kim, Young Ho; Han, Chang Yong; Kwon, Jae Hwan; Cho, Joong Hwan

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES
In modern society, maxillofacial trauma is correlated with an increase in population and traffic accident due to industrialization and urbanization. Many studies have examined maxillofacial trauma, although these studies have shown various results due to investigator's viewpoint and regional and cultural differences. Hence, we conducted this study to examine the current status of patients with maxillofacial trauma. SUBJECTS AND METHOD: Based on patients' clinical data, we retrospectively reviewed clinical characteristics, demographic information and radiographic findings of 527 patients (633 cases based on the fracture sites) with maxillofacial trauma who had visited our hospital between January 1998 and December 2002. We analyzed patients' sex, cause of trauma, and fracture sites. Furthermore, we analyzed the type of treatment for each fracture site. RESULTS: Patients with maxillofacial fracture showed a male predominance of 2.9: 1, and were prevalent in the 20's, 10's and 30's in the order of frequency. These patients showed an increasing tendency in their numbers on a yearly basis, and were the most prevalent in 2002 and on November according to year and month, respectively. The most common etiology was `violence (36.6%)'. Predilection sites were `nasal bone (52.1%)' and `orbit (21.5% [blowout fracture of the orbital wall])'. CONCLUSION: Patients with maxillofacial trauma showed an increasing tendency in their numbers on a yearly basis and frequently exhibited nasal bone fracture and blowout fracture of the medial orbital wall. Accordingly, these patients frequently consult otolaryngologits in comparison with the past. otolaryngologists will pay more attention to these patients.