Frequency of alcohol-associated mandibular fractures in northern Finland in the 1980s.

In order to evaluate the frequency of alcohol-associated mandibular fractures, information on patients treated and diagnosed at a University Hospital and Dental Institute in northern Finland between 1981 and 1990 was analysed. Altogether, 117 male patients (out of 239) and 23 female patients (out of 78) were under the influence of alcohol at the time of accident. The annual risk for men receiving a mandibular fracture under the influence of alcohol (odds ratio) varied between 0.6 and 6.6, compared with female patients. More alcohol-associated mandibular fractures occurred in late summer and autumn and fewer in spring. Patients suffering mandibular fractures at weekends were more often under the influence of alcohol than those injured on weekdays. There seemed to be a tendency for the proportion of alcohol-associated mandibular fractures to decrease towards the end of the decade.