Rates, Patterns and Prevalence of Mandibular Fractures in Children

Abstract

Maxillofacial pediatric fractures are highly uncommon due to their unique characteristics of high elasticity, cartilaginous tissue, lack of pneumatization, evolutionary stages of dentition and other protective features. However, despite their rarity, pediatric facial fractures often seen by pediatric surgeons, plastic surgeons and in the emergency department. The mandible is the most commonly fractured pediatric facial bone. In this review, we will discuss the various patterns of mandibular fractures, their rates and prevalence in the pediatric population. An extensive search was conducted from various electronic databases such as PubMed, Medline Embase, Google Scholar and Cochrane Library to retrieve original researches and narrative reviews. The most common site to be fractured in the mandible is the condylar process, followed by the symphysis and the angle. Condylar process fractures are more common in younger children between the ages of 1 to 13 and angular fractures supersede during the teenage years. Mandibular fractures are also categorized based on the localization and number of fractures such as a single fracture, or multiple fracture both unilateral and bilateral. Further studies with larger sample sizes and specific age groups should be conducted to achieve more significant results.