Purpose: The changes in the characteristics of maxillofacial fractures in pediatric patients during the past 20 years in China were investigated in an attempt to find valuable insight into the future prevention of such fractures.
Patients and methods: In this retrospective study, all pediatric patients age 0 to 12 years treated for maxillofacial fractures at our hospital between January 1987 and December 2006 were included. The epidemiologic information, including patient's gender, age, etiology, fracture type, and fracture site were divided chronologically into two 10-year periods: period 1 (January 1987 to December 1996) and period 2 (January 1997 to December 2006). Both periods were compared and analyzed.
Results: The characteristics of pediatric maxillofacial fractures in our data remained relatively consistent during the past 20 years. The only confirmed significant difference was the change in proportion of maxillofacial fractures in patients 0 to 2 years of age.
Conclusions: The characteristics of maxillofacial fractures can be influenced by social and economic factors; however, they are also associated with the subjects' social role in each particular age group. In China, the key to reducing occurrences of pediatric facial fractures is to prevent accidental falls in children as much as possible.