ETIOLOGY AND PATTERN OF MAXILLOFACIAL INJURIES IN THE WESTERN REGION OF TAMIL NADU: A MULTICENTRIC RETROSPECTIVE STUDY

Background: Maxillofacial injuries account for a substantial share of the trauma burden and carry functional, aesthetic and psychological consequences. Their causes and anatomical distribution differ between regions, and multicentric data from western Tamil Nadu are scarce. This study describes the demographic profile, etiology, fracture pattern and treatment of maxillofacial injuries managed at three government tertiary care hospitals in the region. Methods: A retrospective recordbased study was undertaken at tertiary care hospitals in Namakkal, Tiruppur and Salem districts. Records of 2,000 consecutive eligible patients with a documented maxillofacial injury treated between January and December 2025 were reviewed. Age, sex, mechanism of injury, anatomical site, fracture pattern and treatment modality were abstracted onto a structured proforma and summarised as frequencies and percentages. Results: Of the 2,000 patients, 1,648 (82.4%) were male and 822 (41.1%) were aged 25–35 years. Road traffic accidents caused 1,610 (80.5%) injuries, followed by physical assault (247; 12.4%) and falls or sports-related injury (143; 7.2%). Isolated mandibular fractures were the commonest injury (973; 48.7%), followed by midfacial fractures (554; 27.7%) and combined maxillomandibular fractures (329; 16.5%). Within the mandible, the parasymphysis (31.7%) and condyle (28.2%) were most often involved; within the midface, zygomatic bone and arch fractures predominated (50.4%). Open reduction and internal fixation was performed in 1,016 (50.8%) patients, closed reduction with intermaxillary fixation in 648 (32.4%) and conservative management in 297 (14.9%).  Conclusion: Maxillofacial trauma in western Tamil Nadu chiefly affects young adult men and is overwhelmingly attributable to road traffic accidents. Mandibular fractures, particularly of the parasymphysis and condyle, dominate the injury pattern, and more than half of patients require open surgical fixation. Stronger enforcement of road-safety measures and standardised regional trauma surveillance are warranted.