Incidence and pattern of mandibular fractures in rural population: a review of 324 patients at a tertiary hospital in Loni, Maharashtra, India.

The aim of this study was to document the pattern and incidence of mandibular fractures occurring in rural population, at Rural Dental College and Hospital, Maharashtra, India. A retrospective analysis of patient records and radiographs for the 5-year period from January 2003 to December 2007 was conducted. Data were identified and analyzed based on age group, gender distribution, anatomic location, and cause of injury. A total of 324 patients with 486 injuries were reviewed, males formed 80.9% and females 19.1% of the studied population, with peak incidence occurring in the 21-30 years age group. The most common fractures site was parasymphysis (39.3%). The etiology of mandibular fractures was road traffic accidents (42.9%), followed by falls (25.9%), assaults and interpersonal violence (20.7%), and animal injuries (10.5%). Our results exhibit that road traffic accidents remain the major cause of mandibular trauma and animal injuries being found exclusively in rural population. There is a variation of incidence and pattern of maxillofacial trauma from region to region.