Cranio-maxillofacial injuries in victims of interpersonal violence.

BACKGROUND Recent research has indicated an increase in the severity of head injuries in Switzerland. The aim of the present study was to describe the epidemiological features of cranio-maxillofacial (CMF) injuries due to interpersonal violence in patients at the Bern University Hospital Emergency Department (ED), based on injury patterns. METHODS Retrospective analysis was performed on data collected during an 11-year period between 1 January 2000 and 31 December 2010 covering 1,585 patients. A distinction was drawn between neurocranial and maxillofacial injuries, and two time periods (2000-2004 and 2005-2010) were compared. RESULTS The patients' median age at the time of admission was 26 years (range 12-82), and 1,473 of 1,585 patients (92.9%) were males. Referrals increased from an annual average of 119.6 in 2000-2004 to 164.5 in 2005-2010 (p <0.001). Severe neurocranial injuries doubled in number - from an annual average of 4.2 in 2000-2004 to 8.5 in 2005-2010 (p = 0.010). Maxillofacial injuries seen in the ED increased from an average of 163.6 per year in 2000-2004 to 247.8 in 2005-2010 (p <0.001), and the number of maxillofacial injuries per patient increased from 1.37 to 1.51 (p = 0.015). CONCLUSIONS Cranio-maxillofacial (CMF) injuries chiefly affect young people, and thus impose a heavy economic burden on society. Synergies are possible between the implementation of violence prevention strategies and other prevention objectives in every age group and intervention area.