Clinical Epidemiology, Patterns and Treatment of Maxillofacial Fractures in children and adolescents: A 15- Year Retrospective Study

Abstract Background Although pediatric maxillofacial fractures are uncommon relative to the adult counterparts, a comprehensive understanding of this trauma type is critical to the short- and long-term prevention and treatment for minors. The objective of this study was to describe the main clinical epidemiology, characteristics and treatment of pediatric maxillofacial fractures in different age groups. Methods This research was a retrospective study that was conducted for 15 years in a tertiary hospital for oral and maxillofacial surgery from southeast China. Age, sex, etiology, type of fracture, treatment and concomitant injury were collected from the data of the enrolled patients. The patients were categorized into three groups according to age: ≤6 years old, 7–12 years old, and 13–18 years old. Statistical analysis was conducted mainly using Chi-Square test (p ≤ 0.05). Results A total of 341 patients with maxillofacial fractures were followed up for at least 6 months, then most patients achieved good treatment outcomes in this study. The mean age was 12.04±5.16 years and the male-to-female ratio was 2.13∶1. Fall from a height (FAH) was the primary cause of maxillofacial fractures in 0-6 age group, whereas Fall at ground level (FAG) predominated in both 7–12 age group and 13–18 age group. There were a total of 263 mandibular fractures, 139 midfacial fractures, and 12 suprafacial fractures. Among the mandibular fractures, patients with unilateral condylar fractures were more likely to have isolated fractures than those with bilateral fractures (C = 0.402, p < 0.001), whereas bilateral condylar fractures, compared to unilateral ones, showed a weak positive correlation with symphyseal fractures (C= 0.284, p < 0.001). Conclusions There are different clinical epidemiological features and characteristics of pediatric maxillofacial fractures in different age groups. Appropriate treatment strategies are crucial for achieving better therapeutic outcomes. Trial registration Clinical trial number: not applicable.