Pediatrics mandibular fractures: a study on the involvement of canine region

ABSTRACT

This study was conducted to compare the frequency of mandibular canine region fractures with fractures of other regions of mandible in patients with un-erupted canines at the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Abbasi Shaheed Hospital Karachi form January 2002 to March 2004. A Non Probability Convenience sample of all patients with age 6-12 years presenting with mandibular fracture were included. The sample was categorized into two groups Age 6-9 years with un-erupted canines and Age 10-12 years with erupted canines. The fracture site parameter was categorized into two groups Fractures in Canine Region and Fractures in other regions of the mandible. Total study sample was 76 subjects. Mean age of the subjects was calculated as 8.57 years [SD 1.94]. Male to Female ratio was 2.61. The most common cause of injury was recorded as fall 51.3% followed by road traffic accident 35.5%, assault and sports injuries accounted for 6.6%. The most common overall site of fracture was canine region 44.7%. In the age group [6-9 yrs] the fractures occurring in canine region were 51.3% and 15.8% in [9-12 years group]. Significant association was found to exist between the age groups [6-9 Years, 9-12 years] and fracture groups [canine region fractures, other region fractures] pvalue< 0.05. This study clearly demonstrates that mandibular fractures occur commonly in children in the region of un-erupted canines supporting the evidence of an area of weakness in the mandibular canine region, especially during the mixed dentition period