A pattern of facial fractures in Greece

Four hundred and thirty-two patients with fractures of the facial skeleton, treated in our Department, were studied in relation to the cause, site and the connection of such injuries to fractures of the skull and other sites of the skeleton (limbs, etc.). The conclusions were: (a) The incidence was higher in men than in women, with ratio 3.6:1; (b) Most patients were in the 3rd decade of life, followed by those in the 4th and 2nd; (c) The leading cause encountered was traffic accidents (66%), other accidents at home and work, interpersonal violence and sporting injuries. Of the traffic accident victims, 55% were car drivers or passengers and 37.4% were involved in motorcycle and bicycle accidents, and only a rather small percentage were pedestrians; (d) Of our patients 13% had fractures in other sites of the skeleton, and 7% skull fractures. The percentage of multi-injured patients in our material was in accordance with the findings in other countries. We found that each of these patients had three to four fractures in his body. However, the low number of patients with skull fractures associated with facial fractures was attributed to a high mortality rate in cases of skull and neck injuries at the time of the accident, and following admission, which were not included in this study.