Evaluation of the pattern and etiology of mandibular fractures at a teaching hospital in eastern Azerbaijan

Abstract

About one-third of the patients injured all over the body, have a sort of trauma in their mouth and maxillofacial area. The lower jaw is more susceptible to damage due to its relative position to the skull. The present study was aimed to determine the causes and the patterns of the mandibular fractures in patients admitted to the Imam Reza (AS) hospital, Tabriz, since 1387 to 1391. Methods: This is a retrospective and a cross sectional research. From the total 897records of the maxillofacial surgery archives of the traumatic patients at the Imam Reza (AS) Hospital, Tabriz, 380 cases with mandibular fractures were enrolled over 5 years (1387-1391). The data including age, gender, anatomic location of injury, cause of injury, associated injuries, treatment modalities and post-treatment complications were collected. SPSS.17 data analysis software was used and descriptive statistics (mean, standard deviation, frequency and percentage) was performed. Results: The majority of the patients suffered from mandibular fractures was male and ranged in ages between 21 to30. Road accidents were the leading cause of mandibular fractures by 60.3%. 25.8% of the patients are affected in other organs. 10.87% of patients had a short-term complication due to mandibular fractures and the most major complication was malocclusion by 5.52%. The most important clinical signs of mandibular fractures were swelling (51.8%), erythema (1.8%), and ecchymosis (19. 2%), respectively. Subcondylar (33.4%), parasymphysis (23.7%), trunk (20%) and parasites (16.1%) were the most common mandibular fractures. Conclusion: Mandibular fractures are common in men between ages 21 to 30. Road accidents are the leading cause of mandibular fractures.