Background: Maxillofacial fractures in the paediatric population are peculiar in risks, management and potential complications. The treatment of the children with maxillofacial trauma must take into consideration, the differences in anatomy and physiology between children and adults, the presence of concomitant injury, the particular stage in growth and development and the specific injuries and anatomic sites that the injuries affect.
Objective:To perform a retrospective epidemiological study on facial trauma in children presented to the Department of Maxillofacial and Plastic Surgery, Alexandria University in order to study the epidemiology, analyse the different patterns of trauma and their management.
Subjective: The database of paediatric trauma younger than 18 years of age during a period of 5 years (2014-2019) was reviewed and examined.
Results: Of 236 patients included in this study, with a mean age of 7.93±4.25 years, there were 141 males (60.1%) and 95 females (40.2%).The most frequent reason of injuries were falls (54.2%) and road traffic accidents (29.8%). Incidence of falls decreased significantly with age (P<0.001). Dentoalveolar injuries (52.4%) and soft tissue injuries (47.2%) were higher than facial fractures (42.7%). Mandibular fractures (78.8%) were the most frequent facial fractures. There was a significant relation amongst facial fractures and soft tissue injury (P<0.01).
Conclusion: Falls stayed the principal reason of maxillofacial injury in pediatric patients in this study, and the most frequent site of fractures was the mandible. Slightly displaced fractures in young patients could be achieved by non-intervention methods, but displaced breaks may need open methods and rigid fixation.