[Mandibular fractures. 1. Etiology and fracture pattern in 348 patients]

We reviewed 348 consecutive patients with 536 mandibular fractures treated in the ENT department of Aalborg Hospital from 1982 to 1986 retrospectively. The most frequent causes of mandibular fractures were violence (37.3%) and traffic accidents (36.8%) in adults, and bicycle accidents in children. A total of 85 patients (24.4%) had associated injuries. The anatomic distribution revealed a high percentage (41.4%) of condylar fractures, while the rest of the fractures were distributed in accordance with similar studies. In 32 edentulous patients, body and condylar fractures were most frequent.