Etiology and Pattern of Mandibular Fractures among Patients Attending Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Unit in Mulago Hospital, Uganda: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background: The mandible is one of the most commonly fractured bones of the facial skeleton because of its anatomical prominence.

Objective: The objective of the study was to establish the etiological factors and pattern of mandibular fractures among patients (n=73) aged 3 – 55 years attending the Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Unit of Mulago Hospital.

Methods: This was a hospital based cross-sectional study among patients with mandibular fractures who were consecutively recruited after informed consent. The data were collected using a structured questionnaire and clinical oral examination. The collected data were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences, version 17 for Windows, Chicago, Illinois, USA.

Results: There were 73 patients with 107 mandibular fracture sites. Most fractures were caused by road traffic accident (58%) and assault (38%), and especially among pedestrians and passengers. About half of the patients with fractures were aged 21-30 years. The sex ratio of the patients was 7.7 males versus 1 female. About 17% of the patients were under the influence of alcohol during injury. Majority (69.9%) of the injuries occurred in the Kampala Metropolitan area. Single fractures were observed in 55% of the patients and half of them, displaced. About 91% of the patients with multiple fractures were bilateral. Conclusions: The present study indicated that road traffic accidents and assaults were major causes of madibular fractures, particularly among the youths in the studied population. Males were more prone to mandibular fractures.

Keywords: assaults, pedestrians, mandibular fractures, road traffic accidents.