Children mandibular fractures: Epidemiological and anatomo-clinical aspects

Introduction

Maxillofacial trauma in children is uncommon, accounting for between 1 % and 14 % of all facial trauma in the general population.

Objective

To describe the epidemiological and anatomical-clinical aspects of mandibular fractures in children.

Material and method

This was a retrospective descriptive cross-sectional study with non-probabilistic accidental sampling. It took place in the maxillofacial surgery and stomatology department of Cocody University Hospital in the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, over a 20-year period (2000-2019). The study population consisted of patients aged 0-16 years admitted to our department for a mandibular fracture. At the end of this study, we identified 58 patients. Data was entered using Excel 2016. Tables and graphs were processed using Excel version 2016.

Results

we have identified 58 patients. The mean age of patients was 9.35 ± 2.1 years, with extremes of 1 and 16 years, and a sex ratio of 2,22 in favouring men. The 6-12 age group was the most affected (n: 34 cases or 60.35 %). Soft tissue wounds were present in all our patients, followed by peri-mandibular swelling (n: 37 cases or 63.79 %) and disorders of the dental articulation (n: 28 cases or 48.2 %). Condylar fractures were the most frequent (46.87 %).Mandibular fracture lines were uni-focal in 75 % of cases. These fractures were associated with other facial lesions in 48.28 % of cases and with extra-facial lesions in 34.48 % of cases.

Conclusion

Mandibular fractures are common in maxillofacial trauma in children. Condylar fractures are the most common, almost always associated with chin injuries. Hence the importance of a systematic examination of the mandibular condyles.