Factors associated with oro-facial injuries among children in Al-Baha, Saudi Arabia.

This study was prompted by the dearth of injury data among children in Saudi Arabia. Data were collected prospectively on all children 0-15 years who presented to the King Fahad Hospital at Al Baha with oro-facial injuries over a period of five consecutive years. These records were analyzed for age, gender, seasonal distribution, cause, location and types of injuries. The mean age of the injured children was 6.2 +/- 3.7 years. Falls, motor vehicle accidents followed by direct blunt trauma were responsible for over 97 percent of all oro-facial injuries in children, and over 60 percent of all injuries were due to falls. The forehead, eye, periorbital areas and the mouth accounted for about two-thirds of all injury sites. Most injuries 356 (75.3%) occurred during the summer months while only 117 (24.7%) occurred during the winter months. The difference was significant (P<0.0001). The large majority of injuries, which occurred in children under the age of 6 years, took place at home, while road traffic accidents were the commonest cause of injury in the older children 6 years and above. Following logistic regression analysis, age (6 years and under) was associated with increased risk of injury while the winter months were associated with a lower risk. In addition, the study found no statistically significant difference in the prevalence by sex. Having a safe home environment, health education programmes directed towards the caretakers of young children and legislation in support of seat belts will go a long way towards reducing injuries among children in this community. A multi-disciplinary clinical management approach is envisaged due to the different injury sites and facilities would need to be equipped to take care of all types of oro-facial injuries.