Epidemiology of pediatric facial trauma in Chile: A retrospective study of 7,617 cases in 3 years

Objectives: To describe the epidemiology of facial trauma injuries in a group of Chilean children aged 15 years or less. Study Design: Retrospective study of case series. Between 2006 and 2009, clinical records of 293,090 patients were reviewed. Data of patients with trauma injuries to the face were collected and evaluated for: age, sex, day and month of hospital admission, cause of injury, anatomical location, type of injury and presence of associated injuries. Results: A total of 7,617 patients with 8,944 injuries were found. Boy to girl ratio was 1,7:1. Preschool age children were most frequently affected. Main cause of injury were falls, soft tissue injuries the most common type of injury. Associated injuries occurred in 11% of cases. Conclusions: Facial trauma presents a significant frequency in the group of Chilean children studied. Preeschool age boys were prone to present facial trauma of mild severity associated to falls. Key words:Facial trauma, pediatric trauma, epidemiology, pediatrics.