Can the Mechanism of Injury Impact the Location of a Mandibular Fracture? A Systematic Review

Mandible fractures are the second most common fractures of the facial skeleton because of the prominent position of the lower jaw. The purpose of this study was to calculate the prevalence of mandibular fractures based on their causes and locations.

A systematic search of 3 electronic databases from January 2010 and January 2020 was conducted following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. There were 359 articles identified for screening against selection criteria. The search identified 39 articles to be included in our analysis.

A total of 20,135 patients with 31,468 mandible fractures in this review. There was a 76% male predominance. The third decade was the most common age group (21-30). Motor vehicle accidents (39.89%) were the leading cause of mandible fractures, followed by falls (27.72%) and violence (25.35%). Condylar fractures are the most common cause of MVA and fall (33.11%, 50% respectively). Mandible body fractures are the second most common type of MVA injury (17.06%). When it came to violence, the angle of the mandible was the most common site (31.73%).

The prevalence of mandible fractures was higher in male patients in the current study, particularly in the second and third decades of life. Road traffic accidents were the most common cause, and the condylar process of the mandible was the most frequently affected region. Demographic data such as age, gender, and mechanism of injury can help surgeons predict and identify specific areas of mandibular fracture.