Clinical Paper
Trauma
Sports-related maxillofacial fractures: A retrospective study of 125 patients

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Abstract

This study assessed the spectrum of maxillofacial fractures sustained during sports in Greece, discuss the aetiology in different sports and suggest protective measures. One hundred and twenty-five patients suffered facial fractures as a result of different sport activities. The factors evaluated were: type of sport involved, age, sex, mechanism of injury, site of fractures, associated non-maxillofacial injuries and mode of treatment. The ratio male to female was 9:1 and the highest incidence of sport-related facial fractures was found in the 21–30 year age group. Football was the most common sport-related to facial fractures and the main mechanism of injury was that of impact against another player's head. The most common were the mandibular fractures, followed by zygoma fractures. Furthermore, the angle of the mandible is the highest risk region for fracture. The majority of patients needed surgical treatment.

Facial fractures during sports mainly affect the young and the majority of the patients are amateur athletes. Although these injuries are not usually severe, initial hospitalisation and surgical interventions may be required. Team sports are responsible for the majority of facial fractures.

Section snippets

Patients and methods

During the period 1996–2002, 125 patients who suffered facial fractures as a result of athletic activities were treated in our department. The factors considered for analysis were age, sex, type of sport involved, mechanism of injury, site of fractures, concomitant non-maxillofacial injuries and mode of treatment.

Results

Two thousand and eighty patients were treated with maxillofacial fractures. One hundred and twenty-five patients (6%) had fractures due to sports activities. The fractures resulted of 15 different sports (Table 1). The incidence of fracture was most common in soccer (64%), followed by basketball (13.6%), tae kwon do (4.8%) and skiing (3.2%). It is noteworthy that only 10% of the patients were professional athletes.

The group of the patients consisted of 116 men (92.8%) and 9 women (7.2%). The

Discussion

According to different studies from several countries the incidence of maxillofacial fractures sustained during sports is from 5.6 to 33%2, 3, 7, 19, 20, 21, 26. However, in our hospital 6% of the fractures were sports-related. This variation may reflect the level of participation in sports activities and the type of popular sports.

The age and sex distribution of the patients in the present study corresponded to the results of several other reports2, 9, 10, 24, 26. Most of the sports-related

References (27)

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