Cranio-maxillofacial injuries in victims of interpersonal violence.

BACKGROUND: Recent research has indicated an increase in the severity of head injuries in Switzerland. The aim of the present study was to describe the epidemiological features of cranio-maxillofacial (CMF) injuries due to interpersonal violence in patients at the Bern University Hospital Emergency Department (ED), based on injury patterns.

METHODS: Retrospective analysis was performed on data collected during an 11-year period between 1 January 2000 and 31 December 2010 covering 1,585 patients. A distinction was drawn between neurocranial and maxillofacial injuries, and two time periods (2000-2004 and 2005-2010) were compared.

RESULTS: The patients' median age at the time of admission was 26 years (range 12-82), and 1,473 of 1,585 patients (92.9%) were males. Referrals increased from an annual average of 119.6 in 2000-2004 to 164.5 in 2005-2010 (p <0.001). Severe neurocranial injuries doubled in number - from an annual average of 4.2 in 2000-2004 to 8.5 in 2005-2010 (p = 0.010). Maxillofacial injuries seen in the ED increased from an average of 163.6 per year in 2000-2004 to 247.8 in 2005-2010 (p <0.001), and the number of maxillofacial injuries per patient increased from 1.37 to 1.51 (p = 0.015).

CONCLUSIONS: Cranio-maxillofacial (CMF) injuries chiefly affect young people, and thus impose a heavy economic burden on society. Synergies are possible between the implementation of violence prevention strategies and other prevention objectives in every age group and intervention area.