Substance Use and Maxillofacial Trauma: A Comprehensive Patient Profile

Area of Science:

• Trauma Surgery
• Substance Abuse Research
• Public Health

Background:

• Maxillofacial trauma leads to long-term health issues and significant healthcare costs.
• Substance use is a known risk factor for trauma, but specific patterns in facial fracture patients are not well-defined.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify patterns and trends of substance use among patients with maxillofacial trauma.
• To establish a comprehensive profile of substance users experiencing facial fractures.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective chart review of 388 patients with maxillofacial fractures (2016-2017).
• Collected data included demographics, urine drug screen results, injury details, and trauma history.
• Analyzed associations between substance use and patient/injury characteristics.

Main Results:

• Patients with positive drug screens were more often male, from urban settings, and had poly-facial trauma or prior facial injuries.
• Alcohol use correlated with increased injury severity in polytrauma cases.
• Urban residence and phencyclidine (PCP) use were linked to a history of maxillofacial trauma.

Conclusions:

• Patients with co-occurring maxillofacial trauma and substance use display distinct presentation and history patterns.
• Characterizing these patients aids in developing targeted prevention and rehabilitation strategies.