P-15 Epidemiological assessment of maxillofacial fractures at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation: a retrospective study from January 2019 to December 2024

Methods: This retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted at the Maxillofacial Department of GPHC, Guyana’s, principal public tertiary hospital. A total of 3941 patient charts were reviewed of which 1357 had confirmed diagnoses of maxillofacial fractures and were included in the analysis. The relevant data were recorded on the data record sheet and subsequently entered into a secure Microsoft Access database only accessible to the research team. Descriptive statistics summarized patient characteristics, and Chi-Square tests of independence assessed the association between categorical variables, with statistical analysis significance set at p<0.05.

Results: Maxillofacial fractures occurred predominantly in males (85.4%), with the highest incidence occurring in the 20-29 age group (39.1%). No significant association was found between age and gender (χ2 =12.49, p=0.085), indicating a similar age distribution of fractures among males and females. A significant association occurred between aetiology and fracture type (χ2 =139.14, p<0.0001), with the mandible being the most affected, mainly due to interpersonal violence (24.6%) and road traffic accidents (17.2%). Fracture cases increased steadily over the 6 years, peaking in 2024. Intoxication accounted for 28.1% of cases. There was an association between treatment modality and fracture type (χ²=2115.64, p<0.0001), with closed reduction using monomaxillary and intermaxillary fixation being the predominant treatment (45.5%).

Conclusion: Maxillofacial fractures were most prevalent in males aged 20–29 years, with interpersonal violence being the leading aetiology across all groups. Additionally, there was a steady increase in patients presenting with fractures from 2019 to 2024, with 2024 recording the highest number of cases. It was revealed that 28.1% of the patients presenting with maxillofacial fractures were intoxicated, and the most frequent treatment modalities utilized were closed reduction with monomaxillary and intermaxillary fixation.