Abstract
Facial fractures are the third most common type of fracture, with the nose most frequently involved. In the United Kingdom, their incidence is rising among young males particularly, and recent reports suggest that nasal injuries in females are becoming more common, which is attributed to “ladette” culture. The aim of this study was to investigate if there is any correlation in Wales with the rise in female facial fractures reported in England. A retrospective analysis of National Health Service Wales Informatics Service data (NHS WIS) shows that facial fractures were more likely to occur in males, in their teens or twenties, most commonly caused by assault and linked to alcohol consumption in this demographic. The most common cause of facial fracture in Wales was due to an accident which differs from England. The overall number of facial fractures in both males and females did not change significantly. It may be that the binge drinking culture is not as prevalent in Wales as it is in England. The reasons for this may be mutifactorial, reflecting geographical, cultural and socio-economic factors. Our findings do not correlate with the literature regarding the epidemiology of facial fractures. We suggest that binge drinking and “ladette culture” is not seen as commonly in Wales from the point of view of the ill effects of alcohol consumption.
Highlights
In the United Kingdom (UK), facial fractures are the third most common type of fracture, with the nose most frequently involved [1]
We aim to review the pattern and epidemiology of facial fractures in Wales to ascertain if they correlate with recent reports from England
From 2000 to 2013, a total of 17,547 operations were performed for all types of facial fractures in all the health boards across Wales; 14,694 (83.7%) were for males and 2853 (16.3%) were for females all the health boards across Wales; 14,694 (83.7%) were for males and 2853 (16.3%) were for females (Figure 1)
Summary
In the United Kingdom (UK), facial fractures are the third most common type of fracture, with the nose most frequently involved [1]. The majority of facial fractures in Europe are caused by assault or road traffic collisions (RTC) [3,4]. Up-to-date published data are sparse regarding exact figures of England and Wales, a recent epidemiological review identified three England based papers and found assault to be the most common cause [3,5,6,7]. Nasal fractures are the most common type of facial fracture in children [10,11].
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