Fractures of the mandible. A 35-year retrospective study.

A retrospective survey was carried out of patients presenting with fractures of the mandible over the 35-year period 1951-1985 in Newcastle, Australia. The age, sex and cause of injury were analysed for each of the 1,162 patients. The male:female ratio was 4.4:1. The highest incidence of trauma was in the 20-29-year age group (38.3% of all patients). The number of 20-29-year-olds sustaining mandibular fractures in each 5-year period of study was 2 to 3 times higher than would be expected from the proportion of that age group in the regional population. The major causes of fractures were assault (38.1% of all patients), road traffic accidents (21.5%) and sport (19.0%). The patterns of causes of injury were similar throughout the period of study. Males accounted for most patients in all causes of trauma. In sports, the male:female ratio was 30.6:1, whilst for assaults it was 6.3:1. The number of patients sustaining fractures increased by 364% over the period of study whilst the population involved increased by 47%.