Comprehensive analyses of maxillofacial fractures due to non‐professional sports activities in Italy

Abstract

Background/Aim: Sports activities have become increasingly popular among amateurs and this has led to an increase in maxillofacial fractures. The aim of this study was to investigate the management of amateur sport-related maxillofacial fractures and appropriate preventive measures. Methods: A trauma database was used to analyze 3231 patients with maxillofacial fractures admitted to the Maxillofacial Surgery Division of Città della Salute e della Scienza Hospital, Turin, Italy, from January 2001 to December 2019. Only patients with non-professional sports-related maxillofacial fractures were included. The following data were collected: age, gender, type of sport, mechanisms of injury, sites of fracture, Facial Injury Severity Scale, associated injuries, month of trauma, time to treatment, treatment, length of stay, and interval before return to sport. Results: There were 432 patients, 378 males and 54 females, with a mean age of 29.2 (5-76 years). Sport-related maxillofacial fractures' relative percent ranged from 11.1% in 2001 to 17.5% in 2019. Soccer was the most common cause of sport-related maxillofacial fractures (54.2%), and impact with a player/opponent was the main mechanism of injury (72%). An intentional violent act (player hit by a fist) was the cause of fracture in 8.5% of the soccer-related injuries. Fractures of the middle third of the face occurred in 61.2% of patients. Maxillofacial fractures were treated within 24 h in 25% of patients. There were 343 out of 412 patients who received open reduction and internal fixation (mean length of hospital stay: 3.7 days). There was no contraindication to resuming sport activities at 30/40 days after treatment, except for combat sports. Conclusions: This study provided further evidence of a relative increase in sportsrelated maxillofacial fractures. Soccer is related to the majority of sport maxillofacial fractures. Adherence to the rules is necessary to limit violent acts that cause such injuries. In non-professional players, resumption of the full activity is allowed after 40 days for non-combat sports.

Sports-based distribution of facial fractures – findings from a four-season country

“…Although sports predispose to injuries to all parts of the body, the incidence of AI among facial fracture patients is reported to be relatively low, ranging between 4.2% and 7.2% [2,7,10]. This is partly explained by the notion that most sports-related maxillofacial injuries are the result of singular, isolated modes of force transmission, such as being tackled by another player or being hit in the facial area with a puck.…”

“…Injuries to the maxillofacial region are a known and increasing risk related to different sports and recreational activities [1][2][3]. Due to particular traits of some sports, persons partaking in these activities may be subjected to multiple different modes of force transmission resulting in different hard and soft tissue trauma.…”

“…Especially patients with injuries sustained from team sports involving physical contact or from different forms of martial arts are a common sight in emergency departments. The rising prevalence of sports-related injuries is most likely due to the popularity of specific sports increasing globally [2,4].…”

“…The incidences of sports-related facial fractures have been reported to range from 4.1% to 21.7% [1,2,[5][6][7][8][9]. Traits of sports-related trauma incidents are often unique and multifactorial.…”

“…Additionally, a strong relationship exists between specific sports, the geographical locations where they are played and the characteristics of sustained maxillofacial injuries [5,8]. For example, most sports-related injuries in Central and Southern Europe are seen in football, baseball-related injuries are highly represented in Japan, and in New Zealand injuries are mostly associated with rugby [1,2,5,10].…”