Clinical and Epidemiological Profile of Oral and Maxillofacial Trauma at Two Quaternary Hospitals in Mozambique in 2016

Abstract

Background: Our objective was to evaluate the clinical and epidemiological profile of maxillofacial trauma in patients attended to at the Maputo Central and Nampula Central hospitals in 2016. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional retrospective study based on clinical records of all patients with maxillofacial trauma who attended consultations or were admitted to wards of the maxillofacial surgery services from January to December 2016. Statistical tests looking for significance levels of 5% were performed in SPSS. Results: Trauma accounted for 482 (35.65%) patients treated at the central hospitals of Maputo and Nampula: of these patients 373 (77.4%) fell in the 15–44-year age group, 363 (75.31%) were male, and 430 (89.21%) were ethnically African. Most patients (259 or 53.77%) treated at these hospitals were outpatients. The most frequent cause of trauma (albeit without statistical significance) was physical violence. The lower floor of the face was more frequently involved (279 or 57.88%), and the most common treatment was closed reduction (238 or 49.38%). Conclusion: The characteristic clinical and epidemiological profile of patients with maxillofacial trauma is mainly fractures of the lower floor of the face. These types of injuries are usually severe, and developing preventative and multidisciplinary conducts and treatment protocols for these patients is imperative.