Prevalence of facial trauma and associated factors in victims of road traffic accidents

Background

The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of facial trauma among victims of road traffic accidents and investigate factors associated with it.

Methods

A cross-sectional study was carried out using the medical and dental charts of 2570 victims of road traffic accidents with bodily and/or facial injuries between 2008 and 2011. Sociodemographic variables of the victims and characteristics of the accidents and injuries were evaluated. Statistical analyses included the χ² test as well as the Poisson univariate and multivariate regression analyses for the determination of the final hierarchical model.

Results

The prevalence of facial injuries was 16.4%. Most of the victims were male. Among the victims with facial injuries, 44.3% had polytrauma to the face. The prevalence of facial injuries was high among accidents that occurred at night (Prevalence Ratio (PR), 1.42; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.10-1.84; P = .007) and victims up to 9 years of age (PR, 2.31; 95% CI, 1.03-5.17; P = .041). Moreover, the prevalence of facial injuries was lower among victims of motorcycle accidents than victims of automobile accidents (PR, 0.59; 95% CI, 0.44-0.89; P = .001).

Conclusion

The prevalence of facial injuries was high in this study and was significantly associated with the place of residence, time of day, age group, and type of accident.