Retrospective Analysis of the Pattern and Incidence of Maxillofacial Emergencies: A Hospital-Based Study

Introduction Oral and maxillofacial emergencies are frequently encountered and mandate urgent attention in the emergency departments of any healthcare facility. The tertiary healthcare institutions are often the apex referral centers for such complex and life-threatening medical conditions. Thus, they should be well-equipped to mitigate the morbidity or mortality arising from any emergency medical condition. The current study investigates the incidence and characteristics of cases of oro-maxillofacial emergencies that were reported to the emergency department (ED) of a tertiary care hospital over six months. Methods This retrospective study involved an analysis of records of the patients reporting with oro-maxillofacial emergencies to the ED of our hospital over six months (January 1-June 30, 2024). Data regarding age, gender, presenting complaints, etiology, and diagnosis were extracted and anonymized. Cases were classified as traumatic or non-traumatic. Patients with multiple injuries were recorded under the most severe diagnosis. Fractures were categorized using Dingman-Natvig and Le Fort classification systems. Statistical analysis was performed using IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 25 (Released 2015; IBM Corp., Armonk, New York, United States), applying Chi-square tests and logistic regression to identify associations between risk factors and types of trauma (p<0.05). Results A total of 1,117 patients reported to the ED with oro-maxillofacial emergencies during the study period, comprising 841 male patients (75.3%) and 276 female patients (24.7%), with a mean age of 28.75 ± 15.43 years. The majority of patients (n=396, 35.5%) were in the age group of 21-30 years. Of these, 208 patients presented with non-traumatic emergencies, primarily due to pain from impacted wisdom teeth (n=168; 102 male and 66 female patients) and carious teeth (n=40; 22 male and 18 female patients). Out of the total patients (n=1,117), those with traumatic etiology included soft tissue injuries in 506 patients (45.2%), tooth fractures in 136 (12.2%), facial swelling in 119 (10.7%), mobile teeth in 106 (9.5%), and mandibular fractures in 65 (5.8%). Tooth avulsion was observed in 60 patients (5.4%) while fewer cases presented with lockjaw (n=28; 2.5%) and maxillary fractures (n=12; 1.1%). Conclusion A high incidence of oro-maxillofacial emergencies, including traumatic injuries & non-traumatic pathologies reported to the emergency department of a tertiary care hospital in six months. This study highlights the need for the promotion of oral health through public awareness to reduce the incidence of non-traumatic oral pathologies and more stringent regulations to mitigate traumatic oro-maxillofacial injuries.