Epidemiological Profile of Zygomatic Complex Fractures, Including Frequency, Etiology, Patterns, and Treatment Modalities for Patients

OBJECTIVE: The study is aimed to determine zygomatic fracture frequency, etiology, and treatment patterns. METHODOLOGY: This descriptive cross-sectional study, conducted at Chaudhry Muhammad Akram Dental Hospital, Lahore, from January 2022- June 2023 after ethical Approval vide no. ANDC/RAC/2021/15. The sample was selected using a non-probability convenience sampling technique, and data was collected on various factors including age, associated fractures, gender, cause of injury, and treatment modalities. The use of both categorical and quantitative data, along with the chi-square test for comparison. RESULTS: There were 12 females and 55 males, and the affected male-to-female ratio was 4.5:1. The mean age of patients was 30.69± 10.83SD, with peak frequency occurring in the age range of 16-25 years. The frequency of zygomatic right sided bone fracture was 37(55.22%), left sided 24(35.82%) and bilateral 6(8.96%). The common cause of zygomatic complex fracture was road traffic accidents in 64(95.5%) patients, fall 1(1.5%), and assault 2(3%) patients. There was a significant association between etiology with age (P=0.03) and age with gender (P=0.04). There was also a significant association of age with zygomatic-maxilla bone (P=0.03), zygomatic-nose (P=0.00), and orbital floor-zygomatic bone (P=0.00). Open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF) were performed in 64 (95.5%) patients, and 3(4.5%) patients received Arch bar elastics (ABE-ORIF). CONCLUSION: There was male predominance in road traffic accident and right-sided zygomatic bone being the most commonly affected. There was significant associations of etiology with age and gender, as well as age with associated fractures of the maxilla bone, nose, and orbital floor. KEYWORDS: Zygomatic fractures, internal fracture fixation, maxillomandibular fixation