Study of maxillofacial fractures in patients referred to Ayatollah - Mousavi Hospital in Zanjan (2013-15)

Background: After cerebrovascular and coronary diseases, trauma due to road accident is the leading cause of death in our country. Maxillofacial fractures have economic and psychological consequences in addition to effects on the aesthetic and function of a person. Because of high frequency of car accidents in Zanjan province roadways, evaluation of maxillofacial fractures is important. Objective: The aim of study was to evaluate the epidemiologic characteristics of maxillofacial fractures in patients referred to Ayatollah - Mousavi Hospital in Zanjan in 2013-15. Methods: In this descriptive retrospective study, personal’s profile (age, sex), and fracture pattern (etiology and location) of 303 patients were selected by archive review and recorded in the informative form. Data were analyzed with descriptive statistics. Findings: From 277 evaluated maxillofacial fractures patients who met the inclusion criteria in this study such as completeness and legibility of registered data, 229 patients (82%) were male and 48 patients (18%) female. The peak incidence of maxillofacial injury was observed in the age group of 21-31 years. Most and least frequent site for fracture were mandible (26.7%) and condyle (6.9%) respectively. The most common cause for maxillofacial fracture in sequence were: car accident (79.4%), falling (8.3%), violence and assaults (5.8%). Conclusion: The most common cause for maxillofacial fracture was car accident especially in young adult males. So, emergency relief for victims, vehicle safety, and increase public awareness about seat belt usage is suggested.