Surgical Management of Facial Fractures in Geriatric Patients

Maxillofacial trauma in geriatric patients in an aging country

Similar to other developing countries, the elderly population has increased in Türkiye in the last 30 years. Due to this increase, there has been a rise in the number of elderly patients suffering from maxillofacial injuries. This retrospective study aimed to evaluate the data of patients with geriatric facial trauma treated in our trauma center between 2010 and 2022 and the leading types of injuries, their causes, accompanying findings, and preferred treatment methods according to sex and age. In the study, the demographic characteristics, including age, sex, comorbidities, causes and sites of injury, treatment options, accompanying injuries, and facial injury severity scores of 292 patients were analyzed. Among more than 4000 patients undergoing treatment for maxillofacial injuries screened from January 2010 to August 2022, 292 (166 males, 56%; age range, 65-98 years) fulfilled the eligibility criteria for the study, of whom 60 had a surgical operation. Falls were the most typical cause of injury (70.20%), followed by motor vehicle accidents (18.15%) and assaults (7.87%). Zygomaticomaxillary complex fractures were the most frequently encountered fracture type (n=126, 29.92%), followed by nose fractures (n=122), orbital fractures (n=85), and mandible fractures (n=72). It was observed that the fractures were managed by surgical intervention or conservative measures and that conservative treatment was mostly preferred at an increasing rate with advancing age. As the elderly population increases, so does the incidence of geriatric facial trauma. Due to increased age, deterioration of health, and increase in the number of comorbidities, surgical interventions are less preferred.

Complications Arising from Dental Trauma Incurred from Falls Involving Geriatric Patients: A Case Report

Elderly patients have a high incidence of falls that result in facial injuries. Many cases present with dental crown fractures and soft-tissue lacerations. The initial diagnosis is especially important in this type of dental trauma, since an initial error can result in the failure to establish the correct treatment from the very beginning, worsening the prognosis, which, in the worst case, can compromise the teeth affected by the trauma. Case report: We present the case of a patient, a 79-year-old woman, who suffered an accidental fall. The patient was examined by a dentist in the emergency room. She was diagnosed with a simple crown fracture of the right upper central incisor and right upper lateral incisor without any pulpal involvement and with laceration of the lower lip. Months later, she had an episode of inflammation in the lower lip, and she developed edema and pain. An X-ray of the lower lip revealed a radiopaque mass compatible with a fragment of dental tissue due to the inclusion of remnants of the dental tissue resulting from the previous accident fall. Conclusions: The population of geriatric patients is steadily increasing in our society, and a higher frequency of falls has been observed in this age group, affecting the maxillofacial region, with consequent dental trauma on many occasions. Therefore, as professionals, we must pay special attention to the prevention and treatment of this problem, insisting on the importance of routine investigation in the emergency visit for dental trauma, which includes a meticulous examination of the soft tissues accompanied by a radiographic examination, when the inclusion of foreign bodies is suspected.

Factors Associated with Deterioration in Quality of Life of Subjects after Maxillofacial Fractures - A Prospective Study

Introduction

Maxillofacial fractures (MFs) are quite common and are managed by oral and maxillofacial surgeons. Despite these interventions, a pre-traumatic facial profile is often not achieved with consequent social and psychologic consequences.

Materials and Methods

Patients with fractures to the middle and lower third of the face that presented within 48 hours and healthy controls (subjects without facial fracture) that were sex- and age-matched with the fracture patients were recruited into the study. World Health Organization Quality of Life - Brief Version (WHOQOL-BREF) questionnaire was used to compare the Quality of Life (QoL) values according to age, gender, educational status, employment status, marital status, site of trauma and type of fracture.

Results

Only the age of subjects was associated with deterioration in QoL after MF while other variables were not.

Discussion

Increasing age of the patients was associated with higher QoL possibly because those with age <30 years are single and unemployed and may have fear and anxiety that the fracture could affect their chances of getting married or being employed, causing reduced QoL. Psychosocial rehabilitation is very important in patients with MF, especially for the young age group.