Associated injuries in patients with maxillofacial trauma. Analysis of 312 consecutive cases due to road traffic accidents

Over a six-month period, 312 consecutive patients with maxillofacial injuries due to road traffic accidents (RTAs) were studied for associated injuries. The results show that 138 patients (44.2%) had other injuries elsewhere. The male to female ratio was 2.7:1 and males in the 21-30-year age group were most often involved. Minibus (26.2%) was the vehicle most often involved, and tyre blowout (21.3%) was the commonest contributory factor in RTAs. The commonest associated injury was head injury (55.8%) and the commonest maxillofacial injuries were mandibular fractures (29.2%) and forehead lacerations (37.3%). Only 44.8% of the patients with maxillofacial injuries were referred to the maxillofacial surgeon. Delay in referral, from several hours to four weeks, of some patients with facial injuries to the maxillofacial surgeon was observed.