Children mandibular fractures: Epidemiological and anatomo-clinical aspects.

INTRODUCTION: Maxillofacial trauma in children is uncommon, accounting for between 1 % and 14 % of all facial trauma in the general population.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the epidemiological and anatomical-clinical aspects of mandibular fractures in children.

MATERIAL AND METHOD: This was a retrospective descriptive cross-sectional study with non-probabilistic accidental sampling. It took place in the maxillofacial surgery and stomatology department of Cocody University Hospital in the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, over a 20-year period (2000-2019). The study population consisted of patients aged 0-16 years admitted to our department for a mandibular fracture. At the end of this study, we identified 58 patients. Data was entered using Excel 2016. Tables and graphs were processed using Excel version 2016.

RESULTS: we have identified 58 patients. The mean age of patients was 9.35 ± 2.1 years, with extremes of 1 and 16 years, and a sex ratio of 2,22 in favouring men. The 6-12 age group was the most affected (n: 34 cases or 60.35 %). Soft tissue wounds were present in all our patients, followed by peri-mandibular swelling (n: 37 cases or 63.79 %) and disorders of the dental articulation (n: 28 cases or 48.2 %). Condylar fractures were the most frequent (46.87 %).Mandibular fracture lines were uni-focal in 75 % of cases. These fractures were associated with other facial lesions in 48.28 % of cases and with extra-facial lesions in 34.48 % of cases.

CONCLUSION: Mandibular fractures are common in maxillofacial trauma in children. Condylar fractures are the most common, almost always associated with chin injuries. Hence the importance of a systematic examination of the mandibular condyles.