Maxillofacial Trauma in Pediatric Patients: A Retrospective Study.

Objective: The study was conducted to analyze the pattern, etiology and management of maxillofacial trauma in children up to 16 years of age.

Study design: Records of the patients who sustained maxillofacial trauma from 2013 to 2018 were retrospectively evaluated for age, gender, etiology, pattern of injuries and their management. Children were divided into three groups-primary (0-5 yrs), mixed (6-11 yrs) and permanent dentition group (12-16 yrs). Maxillofacial trauma was observed as midface fracture, mandible fractures, soft tissue injuries and associated tooth fractures. SPSS software version 19.0 was used for the data analysis.

Result: A total record of 99 children were evaluated. Gender-wise distribution was reported twice in male than females. Fall was observed as the major etiological factor (73.7%) with a significant p value of 0.012 using chi-square test. The highest frequency of maxillofacial trauma is noted in mixed dentition group (47.4%). Mandible fracture was most frequently observed followed by associated soft tissue injury. Conservative approach/closed reduction for management was executed for the majority of cases.

Conclusion: Knowledge gained from the present study would help in assessing the effectiveness of present preventive modalities and facilitate elaboration of future preventive measures and new research works as well.