Two Year Evaluation of Maxillofacial Fractures in Conventional Radiographs of Patients Referring to Radiology Department of Mashhad Dental School

Ever-increasing motor vehicle usage and other unpredictable incidents have increased the risk of injury due to trauma. The maxillofacial fractures cause growth defect in some bones and face deformities which may affect people’s life permanently. The aim of this study was to evaluate the incidence, etiology, gender and age of patients with maxillofacial fractures through conventional radiography during two years. In this descriptive study, routine radiographs of 127 patients with maxillofacial trauma referring to radiology department of Mashhad Dental School were evaluated during two years (2008-2010). The number, etiology, type and anatomic site of the fracture as well as gender, age and educational level of the patients were recorded. The data were analyzed using SPSS 15. A total of 93 out of 127 patients had maxillofacial fractures. The patients with fracture had the age range of 2 to 82 years, including 75 males (mean age 25.83±13.8) and 18 females mean age 20.33±10.7). More fractures were observed in men (80.6%) than women (19.4%). Mandible bone was the most frequent site of fracture (35.5%) in both genders, followed by dentoalveolar fracture (31.2%) and Mandible bone + dentoalveolar fracture (21.5%). Furthermore, the main cause of fractures was vehicle accident (55.9%) followed by falling (26.9%) and assault (10.8%). Multiple fractures occurred 2.7 times more than single fractures. Most fractures occurred in patients with low educational status. In the present study, fractures were more common in men. The mandible bone was the most prevalent site of fracture. The main cause of fractures was motor vehicle accidents. As the fractures occur more commonly in young adults, improving people’s awareness regarding principal safety measures and personal protection is recommended.