An analysis of fractures of the facial skeleton in three populations in the Johannesburg urban area.

Facial bone fractures account for a sizeable proportion of the cases treated by maxillo-facial and oral surgery units in South Africa. In this study, clinical records of all facial bone fractures among black, coloured, Asian, and ie/. '<• patients treated in the Department o f Maxilla-Facial am Oral Surgery in the Johannesburg group o f teaching hospitals over a six-month period, were recorded anti analysed. The results showed that the mean age o f black patients sustaining facial trauma was higher than that of the other two groups studied, and in all groups, males were more commonly the victims o f violence that resulted in facial bone fractures than females. In all categories of facial fractures, intentional violence was the commonest uetiological factor, except in middle third facial fractures in the white group which were generally the result of motor accidents. In all groups, the mandible was the facial bone most commonly fractured, while fractures of the middle third o f the facial skeleton, and combined fractures o f the mandible and middle third were less common. OPSOMMING