Incidence and etiology of maxillofacial trauma: a retrospective analysis of King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital in the past decade

Background: Maxillofacial injury is a common injury in trauma patients. The incidence, associated injuries and causes have been never reported for King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital (KCMH). Objectives: To report the incidence, associated injuries, age groups, treatments, and behavioral risks in maxillofacial patients who were admitted to KCMH in the past decade. Methods: We conducted a retrospective descriptive analysis of patients from January 1, 2006, to December 31, 2015, to evaluate the age groups, causes, sites of facial bone fracture, associated injuries, treatments, and behavioral risks. Results: There were 1,275 patients (79% male and 21% female). The most common age group was 21-30 years (30.6%), followed by 11-20 years (19.5%) and 31-40 years (18.8%). The most common cause of injury was motorcycle accident (39.7%), and the most common associated injury was head injury (58%). The total number of fractures were 1,526, with the most common fracture site being the zygomaticomaxillary complex (38.6%), followed by mandible (21.8%) and nasal bone (17.8%). Most fractures were treated using open reduction and internal fixation with plates and screws. Conclusions: The main cause of maxillofacial injury is motorcycle accident even though the government launched a policy named "Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011-2020" to reduce road traffic deaths. Thailand continues to need stronger law enforcement to reduce risky motorcycle driving behavior.