OBJECTIVETo determine the causes and incidence of facial injuries by an epidemiologic retrospective study.

METHODSA total of 3 958 patients with facial injuries treated at Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, West China School of Stomatology, Sichuan University from 1955 to 2001 were investigated. Data regarding age, gender, cause of injury, pattern of fracture and associated systemic injuries were reviewed.

RESULTSThe male to female ratio of the patients with facial injury was 4.27:1 and 33.4% of patients were aged between 21 and 30 years. The most common cause of injury was traffic accident (30.6%), followed by falls (21.4%) and collision (15.8%). A total of 794 patients (20.1%) showed only soft tissue injuries. 1 100 patients (27.8%) had multiple fractures in facial bones and 2,064 patients (52.1%) had single fracture. The mandibular fracture was most frequently seen, followed by the maxilla and the zygoma. The most common site of mandible fracture was the body (31.2%), followed by the symphysis (22.7%), the condylar (20.5%) and the angle (13.7%). Accompanied injuries to brain and skull happened in 916 patients (23.1%).

CONCLUSIONSBone fractures were more common in hospitalized patients with facial injuries. The numbers and sites of fracture were related to the causes of injuries and anatomic structure of the bone. The brain and skull injuries, the most often and seriously accompanied injuries, would not be neglected.