Analysis of Factors Affecting Quality of Life in Patients Treated for Maxillofacial Fractures

Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2019 Dec 18;17(1):4. doi: 10.3390/ijerph17010004.

Abstract

Maxillofacial fractures (MFF) belong to the major modern medicine and public health concerns. The recovery from MFF is associated with a number of social problems. The patient's mood may be affected by the change in self-image and lack of satisfaction with life, in many cases leading to a deepening of mental health disorders, resulting in alcoholism, loss of job or conflicts in the area of family life. The aim of this study was to evaluate the quality of life of patients with MFF, with respect to demographic and medical variables. The mean age of the 227 patients was 36 years. The mandible was the most frequent MFF location (52.9%), followed by the zygomatic bone (30.8%) then the maxilla (16.3%). Bone fracture displacement occurred in 79.3% of patients. A comminuted fracture was found in 71% of patients. The quality of life of patients with MFF was significantly better in all analyzed domains 3 months after the end of hospitalization compared to the initial survey carried out shortly after implementation of the treatment. Among the demographic variables, older age had a statistically significant but weak positive association with the improvement of the quality of life of respondents in General health perception domain.

Keywords: conservative treatment; hospitalization; maxillofacial fractures; quality of life.

MeSH terms

  • Conservative Treatment / methods
  • Conservative Treatment / psychology
  • Female
  • Follow-Up Studies
  • Fracture Fixation / methods
  • Fracture Fixation / psychology
  • Health Status Indicators
  • Hospitalization
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Mandibular Fractures / psychology*
  • Mandibular Fractures / therapy
  • Maxillary Fractures / psychology*
  • Maxillary Fractures / therapy
  • Quality of Life*
  • Zygomatic Fractures / psychology*
  • Zygomatic Fractures / therapy