Comparison of the Prevalence of Maxillofacial Fractures in Kashani Hospital of Isfahan before and after the COVID-19 Pandemic

Considering the importance of jaw and facial fractures due to their proximity to vital elements and the lack of reduction in hospital capacities for this emergency during the corona pandemic, the aim of the research is to determine and compare the prevalence of jaw and facial fractures before and after the COVID-19 pandemic.

This descriptive and analytical study was conducted on 4942 cases of patients with facial and jaw fractures admitted to Kashani Hospital in Isfahan during two time periods: before and after the COVID-19 pandemic. The frequency of jaw and facial fractures was investigated according to age, sex, location and cause of fracture. The data were analyzed with Chi-square and t-test.

TThe frequency of registered cases of female patients was significantly lower after the Covid-19 pandemic (p value < 0.001). The majority of patients before (52.9%) and after (0.48%) the COVID pandemic were in the age group of 21-39 years. A significant difference was observed between the age group of patients before and after the COVID-19 pandemic (p value < 0.001). There was no significant difference between patients in older age groups before and after the pandemic. The most common cause of fractures before and after the pandemic were vehicle accidents. The difference between fractures of the mandible, teeth, malar and maxilla bones, orbital roof, nasal bones, skull base, skull base, and skull vault were significantly higher after the COVID-19 pandemic (p value < 0.001).

The results indicate an increase in the number of cases admitted for jaw and facial fractures in the post-COVID-19 era, which may be due to the increased travel desires following previous restrictions. Vehicle accidents were the most common cause, in men under the age of 39 and in the area of the nose, maxilla, teeth and orbital floor.