A retrospective analysis of 189 patients of maxillofacial injuries presenting to a tertiary care hospital in Punjab, India

Abstract

Maxillofacial injuries form a major aspect of trauma management in trauma centers. Prompt diagnosis and management is needed to provide better quality of life and cosmetic results as compared to delayed interventions. We present a retrospective study of 189 patients of complex, operable maxillofacial injury with an analysis of patients'; age and gender, mode of injury, vehicle details and associated injuries along with the maxillofacial injuries admitted in a tertiary care hospital in Northern India over one year. Maximum patients were in the age group of 21-30, a decade early as compared to other figures, with fractures of zygoma being predominant associated with head injury as the commonest comorbid condition. Motorized two wheelers were the leading cause with more than 75% patients driving at the time of injury. Majority of the injuries were not singular and in concordance with the literature men were the most affected. Motor vehicle accident is the most common cause for maxillofacial injury worldwide. Being a referral hospital the number of patients were low but the complexity was high with a reverse trend towards the type of injuries seen and the ones found in community hospitals. The stand alone factor of this study with respect to the other publications is the presentation of the associated symptom complex with the specified fracture and the type, number and rotation of fracture segments with each facial bone fracture; the location of the patient at the time of impact in the vehicle, type of vehicle and the associated injuries.