Incidence and patterns of fractures of Mandible, Midface or both using CT scan in trauma patients

Background: The aim of present study was to assess the incidence of fractures of maxillofacial region in Kashmir population and to compare the results with worldwide incidence of maxillofacial trauma cases. Materials and Methods: This was an observational, prospective, longitudinal study of patients presenting successively with maxillofacial fractures, attending the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology Government dental college Srinagar, Kashmir over 2 years and 5months. During study a total of 570 patients were attended by our department with maxillofacial injuries and 457 were included in the study. Imaging was performed using a 64-slice CT scanner, 16-slice CT scanner or using a 4-slice CT scanner. Imaging protocols included axial images reformatted in the coronal and optionally sagittal planes. Incidence of fractures in mandible, mid-face and both were calculated and cause of trauma was also documented. Results: Majority of patients had isolated mandibular fractures followed by mid-face and combined mandible and mid-face irrespective of gender. Traffic accidents were most common cause of trauma 49.8%, followed by assaults, falls and stumbling 18.3%. Most common mandibular fracture was condylar fracture (39%) and most common mid-face fracture was zygomaticomaxillary fracture 32%. Conclusion: The findings of this study indicated that epidemiological research of maxillofacial fractures allows the presentation patterns of the most affected individuals, common causes of trauma and sites of involvement. It can also be emphasized that CT is Gold standard for evaluating maxillofacial trauma. Keywords: Maxillofacial trauma, CT scan, Mastoid process fracture, Assaults, Road traffic accidents