Etiological spectrum, injury characteristics and treatment outcome of facial fractures: a clinical study of 92 cases

Background: Maxillofacial injuries pose a therapeutic challenges to trauma, maxillofacial and plastic surgeons practicing in developing countries. This study was carried out to determine the etiology, injury characteristics and management outcome of maxillofacial injuries at Maysan general hospital in Maysan, southern of Iraq from November 2008 to April 2010. Patients and methods: The data collected included age, gender, etiology, anatomic site of the fracture and treatment outcome. A total of 134 facial fractures were found in 92 patients, Results: most fractures occurred in adults with age ranging from 21 to 30 years. Men were more affected than women, with a male-female ratio of 4.1:1. Road traffic accidents (RTAs) were the major cause of trauma, followed by interpersonal violence and gunshots and missiles. When the relation between the gender and the etiology of facial fractures was analyzed, a significant relation was noted between these variables. There was also a relation between the patients’ age and the site of the fractures. The mandible was found to be the most commonly fractured bone in the facial skeleton, followed by the zygomatic complex. Surgical or non-surgical approach was chosen according to characters of each case. There were significant differences between the kind of treatment applied and the site of the fracture. Surgical site infection and malocclusion were the most prevalent complications. Conclusion: Road traffic accidents remain the major etiological factor of maxillofacial injuries in our setting. Measures on prevention of road traffic accidents should be strongly emphasized in order to reduce the occurrence of these injuries