Jaw fractures in the County of Kopparberg and Stockholm 1979-1988. A retrospective comparative study of frequency and cause with special reference to assault.

The material comprised all 367 patients with fractured jaws treated at the Departments of Oral Surgery, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm (216) and the Central Hospital in Falun (151) during 1979, 1982, 1985 and 1988. Manibular fractures predominated. There was no increase of the number of fractures in Stockholm and a slight decrease in Falun. In both districts the patients were predominantly men aged between 20 and 35. The most common cause of fractures in Stockholm was assault followed by traffic accidents. In Falun traffic accidents were most common, followed by assault. No increase in assaults was found. The study refutes the widespread impression of a steadily increasing incidence of cases of assault and an increasing frequency of aggravated assault.