Citation

Yang CS, Chen SC, Yang YC, Huang LC, Guo HR, Yang HY. Traffic Injury Prev. 2017; 18(7): 724-729.

Affiliation

d Department of Medical Research , Ditmanson Medical Foundation Chia-Yi Christian Hospital , Chia-Yi , Taiwan , ROC.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2017, Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1080/15389588.2017.1309650

PMID

28340303

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: The facial region is a commonly fractured site, but the etiology varies widely by country and geographic region. To date, there are no population-based studies of facial fractures in Taiwan.

METHODS: We conducted a retrospective study of patients diagnosed with facial fracture and registered in the National Health Insurance Research Database of Taiwan between 1997 and 2011. The epidemiological characteristics of this cohort were analyzed, including the etiology, fracture site, associated injuries, and sex and age distributions.

RESULTS: A total of 6,013 cases were identified that involved facial fractures. Most patients were male (69.8%), aged 18-29 years (35.8%), and had fractures caused by road traffic accidents (RTAs; 55.2%), particularly motorcycle accidents (31.5%). Falls increased in frequency with advancing age, reaching 23.9% in the elderly (age > 65 years). The most common sites of involvement were the malar and maxillary bones (54.0%), but nasal bone fractures were more common among those younger than 18 years.

CONCLUSION: Most facial injuries in Taiwan occur in young males and typically result from RTAs, particularly involving motorcycles. However, with increasing age, there is an increase in the proportion of facial injuries due to falls.

Language: en

Keywords

Epidemiology; associated injuries; etiology; facial fractures; fractured bone location