Mandible fractures: a 3-year retrospective study of cases seen in an oral surgical unit in Singapore.

A retrospective study of patients referred to the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at Singapore General Hospital/National Dental Centre with mandibular fractures over a 3-year period from June 1995 to May 1998 was carried out. The cause, age, sex, race and anatomical distribution of the fractures were analysed for each of the 123 patients. The main cause of trauma was road traffic accidents (RTAs) (35.8%), of which 79.5% were motorcyclists. The highest incidence of trauma was in the 20-29 year age group (46.3%). Males outnumbered females in a ratio of 7.8:1. The parasymphysis was the most common site of injury (30.9%), and combined condylar and parasymphyseal fractures (26.0%) was the most common combination seen.