Occurrence of mandibulofacial injuries presenting to the otorhinolaryngology and head & neck surgery department.

Trauma is the fourth major cause of mortality in the Western countries, of which approximately one half involve maxillofacial injury. Statistics reported by emergency room officials show motor vehicles cause many of the injuries and deaths that occur in Iran. Having completed a retrospective descriptive study of 200 patients who experienced maxillofacial trauma, the authors report its occurrence with respect to age, sex, trauma type, and site of injury so as to evaluate the operational functionality of the Department of Otolaryngology and Head & Neck Surgery of Hazrat-e Rasoul Akram Hospital from 2000 to 2004. Mandibular fractures (36.2%) occurred in the subsequently listed sites and at the specified frequencies: mandibular angle (9.7%), mandible body (6.9%), parasymphysis, ramus and subcondyle at 5.6% each, and symphysis at 2.8%. No condylar fractures were reported. Frontal bone fracture was observed in 9.7% of the patients with eye globe injury occurring simultaneously in 8.3% of corresponding cases. Orbital fracture (63.9%) also occurred in various cases as follows: orbital floor 39%, lateral rim 24%, inferior rim 22%, medial wall 11%, and the superior rim and orbital roof at 2% each. Motor vehicle accidents were the most common causes of trauma (42%). The most common fracture was in the zygoma (43%) with 8.3% of them being orbital injury. Fractures of mandibular bones (36.2%) and the maxilla (33%) were the most commonly seen in trauma occurring to the maxillomandibular region.