A 3-year survey of assault-related maxillofacial fractures in central Switzerland
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Nicole Eggensperger1, Koord Smolka, Benedict Scheidegger
1Department of Cranio-Maxillofacial Surgery, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland. nicole.eggensperger@insel.ch
Aim:
The aim of this study was to analyse the character of assault-related facial fractures in central Switzerland and to compare their prevalence with the data presented in similar reports from other countries.
Material:
The present study comprised 65 patients with assault-related maxillofacial fractures treated in the Department of Cranio-Maxillofacial Surgery, University Hospital of Bern between 2000 and 2002.
Methods:
The mechanism, the causes of the injuries and the location of the fractures were analysed by reviewing emergency and hospital records. Concomitant injuries were also studied.
Results:
The mean age of the patients was 33 years with the largest group being below 25 years. The male-to-female ratio was 56:9. The most common causes of assault-related injuries were fights, most frequently facial blows, accounting for 92.5% of all patients. Seventy-six per cent of the fractures occurred in the middle and upper facial skeleton with a predominance of 2:1 for the left side. In 39 patients (60%) surgery was necessary, with a mean hospital stay of 3.3 days. Thirty-five patients (54%) had concomitant injuries. Alcohol and drug abuse was found in 15 patients (23%).
Conclusion:
It seems that mostly young men suffer assault-related maxillofacial injuries. A contributing factor to the increased disposition for violence could be alcohol and drug abuse. Therefore, national prevention programmes for alcohol or drug abuse and addiction might have a positive effect on reducing the incidence of assault-related maxillofacial injuries.
