Causes of Facial Trauma

Facial trauma can come from a wide range of incidents.  Statistics are varied because often times injuries aren’t reported. One thing is for sure, facial trauma can change your world. Thankfully the advancement of medicine and science have improved the outlook for patients with maxillofacial injuries of all kinds.

Of the statistics available, sports injuries are the most common and easily tracked. According to studies published in January of this year, approximately 60 to 90 percent of all (sports) facial injuries occur in males between the ages of 10 and 29.

It appears that facial injuries in motor vehicle accidents have slowed down in recent years. This can be attributed to improvements in automotive design and greater safety features in newer vehicles. Where motor vehicle collisions are reported, the most common injuries seem to involve fractures to the face.

The most dominant issue in facial injuries is that there is such a broad range of medical specialties that may be necessary in any one person’s recovery process. Specialists involved include oral and maxillofacial, plastic, and otolaryngology/head and neck surgeons. Treatment of facial trauma is an  essential part of trauma facilities. Those with training in oral and maxillofacial specialties near the 40 percent mark, of the trauma centers that responded to surveys.

Other causes of injury can include domestic violence, child and elder abuse, and assault. Another area where facial injuries occur, but people may not take into consideration is in the case of disaster relief. These injuries can occur when a tornado destroys a town, a hurricane or wildfire engulf large areas causing devastating damage, or when a terrorist bomb explodes. Often times, maxillofacial surgeons are not the first responders in such situations. These are common injuries among disaster areas prompting the question about implementing putting these specialists on the list of emergency responders to be called.

The cause of such injuries are far and wide. Thankfully science and medicine are continually improving prognoses for these patients.