Trauma accounts for the principal etiologic factor of mortality in the first 40 years of life. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), almost 1 million people die and approximately 15 to 20 million are injured annually in road traffic accidents (RTAs). 1 In India, the world's second most populated country, the trauma "epidemic" claims lakhs of lives every year. 2 We are experiencing an increasing trend in injuries, particularly due to road traffic accident (RTA), at an alarming annual rate of 3%. 3 Studies have found that maxillofacial injuries occur in approximately 5 to 33% of patients experiencing severe trauma. 4 Indians with injuries are reported to be six times more at risk of death as compared with their counterparts from developed countries. 5 Therefore, maxillofacial injury management requires adequate patient documentation, injury surveillance, and re-creation of data that adequately describe the whole spectrum of injuries. 6 This would enable health planners and providers to specifically address the burden of maxillofacial injuries, and thus develop suitable preventive programs aimed at lowering the incidence of these through more efficient planning for resource allocation and delivering adequate care. 7-9 The etiology of facial trauma also affects the Keywords ► maxillofacial injury ► road traffic accident ► trauma AbstractThis study aimed to obtain dependable epidemiologic data of the variation in cause and characteristics of maxillofacial fractures by identifying, describing, and quantifying trauma. This retrospective study was conducted in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India, over 1 year, based on a systematic computer-assisted database search from March 2015 to March 2016 for maxillofacial fractures. The demographics, etiology, geographic distribution, date of injury, site and number of fractures, and type of intervention were recorded for each. The study population consisted of 1,000 patients with 1,543 fractures. The male:female ratio was 8:1. A peak incidence of fractures was seen in the third decade (mean age: 30.3) with maximum patients younger than 40 years (80.8%). The incidence of fractures was highest in spring (42.9%). Road traffic accidents were the most common cause of trauma (64.4%) and mainly involved two wheelers (60.2%). Single-site fractures were most common. Mostly zygomatic (45.1%) and mandibular fractures (44.4%) were encountered, accounting for approximately 90% of all fractures. The main site of mandibular fractures was the body (34.4%); 46.2% of fractures underwent open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF) while 53.8% were treated by closed methods. The study provides important data to contrive future plans for injury prevention. The trend of most traffic-related injuries continues with the increasing traffic on roads. Zygomatic complex and mandibular fractures remain the most frequent. The major populations at risk are young men and those driving two wheelers. The use of helmets could achieve a large reduction in maxillofacial fractures. Awareness for preventive ...

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Objective:The objective of this study was to chemically evaluate precipitate formation on irrigation by different concentrations of chlorhexidine (CHX) and alexidine (ALX) with sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl).Materials and Methods:Six test tubes were prepared with 1 ml of 4% NaOCl. One milliliter of 2%, 1%, 0.5%, and 0.25% ALX was added to the first four, and in the last two, 1 ml of 2% CHX and 0.2% CHX was added, respectively. Samples were observed for color changes or precipitates at multiple time intervals. All solutions were then centrifuged at 1000 rpm for 10 min and re-examined for precipitates. This process was repeated twice. Fifty freshly extracted premolars were biomechanically prepared, dried, divided into two groups, and irrigated with 10 ml of 4% NaOCl and 10 ml of 2% ALX (Group 1) and 10 ml of 4% NaOCl and 10 ml of 2% CHX (Group 2). These samples were sectioned and observed for precipitates on the dentinal surfaces by scanning electron microscopy (SEM).Results:The color of the solution of ALX and NaOCl stayed transparent and no precipitate was observed. A color change was noted immediately on mixing CHX and NaOCl which did not change with time. Precipitates were only observed in the solutions of CHX with NaOCl and after centrifuging them. SEM views also showed dense precipitates covering the dentinal surface and occluding the dentinal tubules in Group 2.Conclusion:The interaction of ALX and NaOCl does not produce precipitates which together with its better antimicrobial action make ALX a more effective and safer replacement for CHX as an adjunctive endodontic irrigant.

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