Editorial comments--changing pattern of pediatric maxillofacial injuries at the Accident and Emergency Department of the University Teaching Hospital, Ibadan--a four-year experience.

Facial trauma may impose functional disabilities, such as difficulties with breathing, eating, drinking, and speaking. Moreover, esthetic changes might cause the patient social and psychological dysfunction. Fractured facial bones may occur following isolated facial trauma, or as a part of multiple injuries trauma that might be caused by: road accidents, domestic or street falls, physical violence, industrial accidents, sports accidents, or gunshot wounds. Fractured facial bones, if not properly treated, may cause irreversible esthetic disturbances and functional disabilities. Early treatment might result in a complete , long-term recovery and might reduce the incidence of complications. 1 We congratulate Okoje et al for their important research. This prospective research examined the frequency and the causes of mouth and jaw injuries among children 0–16 years of age between 2002 and 2006. They found that face and mouth injuries are common among patients suffering from multiple injuries and that the frequency of these injuries has increased during the last decade. The three main causes for mouth and jaw fractures are traffic accidents, falls, and violence. The most common cause of facial injuries was traffic accidents (54.5% of the cases) and 4.4% of the cases were caused by gunshot injuries. The most common injuries were soft tissue injuries (55.9%). The most common bone injuries were mandible fractures (13.4%). 1 Similar results were found in studies conducted during the last decade in other countries. In Egypt, road crashes were the main cause, followed by falls and assaults. Fractures of the angle of the mandible were the most common (22%) followed by parasymphyseal fractures (21%), and the lowest were in the coronoid region (1%). 2 In South Africa, injuries mainly were caused by falls from a variety of heights and transport-related injuries. Almost 60% of traffic related injuries involved children as pedestrians being struck by a motor vehicle; 20% were cycle-related. Almost 70% of injuries occurred in or around their own home. 3 In Portugal, motor vehicle accident was the most common cause of injury (53.3%). Mandibular fracture was the most common type of fracture (48.8%). Associated injuries occurred in 558 patients (64.5%). 4 In Jordan, the most common fracture site in young patients was the condyle. The most common causative factor in adults was road traffic accidents, and falls. 5 In England, the main reason for attendance was a fall (70%); 17% of the patients presented after interpersonal violence. Soft tissue injuries accounted for 70% …