Mandible fractures and dental injuries related to road traffic accidents over a 12‐year period—Retrospective multicentre study

Abstract

Background/Aim Road traffic accidents (RTAs) are a common cause of maxillofacial injuries. The aim of this retrospective multicentre study was to investigate the characteristics of maxillofacial fractures and dental injuries that occurred in RTAs in Miyagi, Japan. Materials and Methods The records of 404 patients with maxillofacial injuries treated at the Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Departments of four different institutions over a period of 12 years were analysed. Ninety‐nine of these patients had suffered these injuries in an RTA. RTA‐related cases were divided according to age, gender, presentation month, presentation day of the week, transportation mode, time of accident, fracture sites and fracture mechanism. Results There were 72 males and 27 females who suffered injuries as the result of an RTA, for a male‐to‐female ratio of 2.7:1.0, with a mean age of 35.3 years (range, 1‐86 years old). Most of the accidents occurred in June and on a Wednesday, and most of the affected patients were riding a bicycle at the time. The number of patients with maxillofacial injuries related to bicycle riding showed an increasing trend in recent years. Mandible fractures were the most prevalent, followed by dental injuries and maxilla fractures. In cases with a single fracture of the mandible, the symphysis was the most frequent site, while in those with multiple fractures, the association of symphysis and bi‐lateral condyle fractures was the greatest. For bicycle‐related accidents, a single fracture in the mandible occurred more often than multiple fractures. Conclusions The number of RTA‐related injuries while bicycle riding showed an increasing trend with mandible fractures commonly seen in those cases. Efforts to reduce maxillofacial injuries related to bicycle accidents are needed.

Anatomical distribution of mandibular fractures from severe bicycling accidents: A 12‐year experience from a Norwegian level 1 trauma center

“…The body of the mandible was the most frequent fracture location in bicycle‐related mandibular fractures in the present study. This is in accordance with the findings of Lin et al in their study of bicycling injuries from a Level I trauma center in Taiwan 11 as well as a recent Japanese study on road traffic accidents 15 . In the latter, bicycling accidents accounted for around two thirds of the maxillofacial injuries.…”

“…However, that study did not report the specific fracture pattern of the mandibular fractures for the eighteen cyclists included 15 . The authors did, nevertheless, report a similar percentage of single mandibular fractures as in the present study (58%), and that fractures of the condyle were the second most frequent fracture location 15 . This is in contrast to other studies where fractures of the condyle were more common 7,8,12–14 …”

“…In the latter, bicycling accidents accounted for around two thirds of the maxillofacial injuries. However, that study did not report the specific fracture pattern of the mandibular fractures for the eighteen cyclists included 15 . The authors did, nevertheless, report a similar percentage of single mandibular fractures as in the present study (58%), and that fractures of the condyle were the second most frequent fracture location 15 .…”

“…Several studies have shown the distribution of facial fractures in bicycle‐related accidents, with fractures of the mandible ranging from the least to the most prevalent type 7–10 . To the authors' knowledge, however, few studies have reported the anatomical distribution of the different types of mandibular fractures 7,8,11–15 …”

“…[7][8][9][10] To the authors' knowledge, however, few studies have reported the anatomical distribution of the different types of mandibular fractures. 7,8,[11][12][13][14][15] Helmet use is associated with a risk reduction of about 50% for head injuries 16 , and two recent meta-analyses found an overall risk reduction of 21% and 32% for facial fractures. 16,17 There are, however, diverging results on the effect of injury to the lower part of the face.…”