The incidence and management of middle third facial fractures at the University College Hospital, Ibadan.

A study of 59 patients with middle third maxillofacial fractures over a 5 year period was undertaken. The incidence of, pattern of fracture, type of accompanying injuries, and assessment of the outcome of given treatment were studied. The young adult male featured prominently in the study giving a male/female ratio of 14:1. The zygomatico-maxillary complex was fractured in 42.4% of the cases, while the Le Fort 1 fracture was the most common of the Le Fort Fracture types. Road traffic accidents accounted for 81.4% of the aetiological factors, while armed robbery attacks was the next common source of trauma at 6.8%. Treatment by the Gillies temporal approach and immobilization within the tissues techniques produced very satisfactory results in 96% of the patients who received treatment. Loss of vision in one eye was the most common residual complication.