Prevalence and pattern of mandibular fracture in Central India

The etiology and pattern of mandibular fracture vary considerably among different study populations. Despite many reports about the incidence, diagnosis and treatment of mandibular fracture there is limited knowledge about the specific type or pattern of mandibular fractures in South Asian countries. This study attempts to delineate predictable patterns of fracture based on patient demographics and mechanism of injury in central part of India.

The medical records of patients with mandibular fractures treated over a 3 years period were identified and analyzed based on age, sex, mechanism of trauma, seasonal variation, drug/alcohol abuse, number and anatomic location.

We reviewed 464 patients having mandibular fractures with age ranging from 7 to 89 years. Male (343, 79%) to female (91, 21%) ratio was 3.7:1, significantly higher for males. The highest incidence (37.5%) of mandibular fractures was in the age group of 21-30 years. The main cause was road traffic accidents (RTAs, 68.8%) followed by falls (16.8%), assaults (11%) and other reasons (3.8%). Parasymphyseal fractures were the most frequent 331 (41.1%), followed by condyle (135) and angle (124) fractures in occurrence. Mandibular angle fractures were found mostly to be associated with assault victims.

The mechanism of injury correlates significantly with the anatomic location of fracture and knowledge of these associations should guide the surgeons for appropriate and timely management. Because RTAs are most frequent, good traffic sense needs to be imbibed and developed by the government as well as the public.