The epidemiology of midfacial fractures at two hospitals in Qazvin

Abstract Background: Trauma to facial area often causes damage to soft tissues, teeth and bones including maxillae, mandible, naso-orbital-ethmoid complex, and supra orbital structures. Objectives: to determine the pattern of midfacial fractures referred to Qods and Rajaei hospitals in Qazvin (Iran) during 1995-2005. Methods: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study in which the demographic and other existing information including age, sex, job, site and cause of fracture, place of living, season, fracture-associated signs and symptoms, type of radiography, and the treatment methods were collected and analyzed statistically using SPSS. Findings: The data obtained from 3257 cases showed that the prevalence of fracture in men was higher than that of females. Most fractures occurred in 10-19 year age group. The nasal bone was the most commonly fractured bone (97%) followed by zygomatic fracture (3%) and fractures of maxilla (2/4%) and orbital (2/1%). Fall (31/9%) and traffic accidents (23/3%) were found to be the two major causes of fractures. Regardless of nasal bone fractures, the most common cause of midfacial fractures was traffic accident (39/2%). The type of radiography requested was mostly lateral nasal. The majority of fractures (30/8%) occurred in summer and mostly (22/9%) among students. Pain, bleeding, tenderness, and swelling were demonstrated to be the most frequent signs and symptoms. Conclusion: High prevalence of nasal fracture could be due to the prominency of this bone compared with other midfacial bones. Our findings in consistent with similar studies, support the view that the pattern of midfacial fractures vary from one country to another. Strict following of traffic and safety rules by drivers is of prime essentiality in reduction of such events.