A clinical study of emergency room visits for oral and maxillofacial lacerations

OBJECTIVES: This study investigated patients with oral and maxillofacial lacerations who visited the emergency room over a three-year period in an effort to determine the optimal treatment for these injuries. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study examined 1,742 patients with oral and maxillofacial lacerations with 2,014 different laceration locations who visited the emergency room of Pusan National University Hospital (Busan, Korea) over three years, from January 2011 to December 2013. Patients were classified by sex, age, visit day, cause of injury, injury site, and the presence or absence of soft tissue and tooth injuries. RESULTS: The male to female ratio was 2.50:1. Patients under 10 years old were seen most frequently. Most emergency room visits were on weekends. Among intra-oral lacerations, the lip area was the most vulnerable site; among extra-oral lacerations, the chin area was most frequently injured. The most frequent etiology was a slip down. Most lacerations occurred without bone fracture or tooth damage. CONCLUSION: Laceration may differ in large part as compared with the fracture. Therefore, it is necessary to continue collecting data on oral and maxillofacial lacerations to establish optimal emergency room diagnosis and treatment strategies.