The Impact of Traffic Law Enforcement Regulations on the Incidence and Severity of Maxillofacial Injuries.

Objectives: This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of the new traffic law enforcement regulations (TLERs) on the incidence and severity of maxillofacial injuries in Oman, as road traffic accidents (RTAs) are the main cause of facial injuries in Oman. Methods: A retrospective longitudinal analytic study was conducted at three tertiary care hospitals in Muscat, Oman. All patients with RTA-related maxillofacial injuries during a five-year period from January 2005 to December 2009 (before the new TLERs) and the five-year period from January 2015 to December 2019 (after the new TLERs) were included in the study. Results: A total of 1,127 patients were included in the study. Of these, 646 (57.3%) patients sustained RTA-related maxillofacial injuries before the implementation of the new TLERs compared to 481 (42.7%) after the introduction of TLERs. No significant gender-based difference was found between the two study periods. The incidence of injury before the implementation of the new TLERs was 22.7 per 100,000 population, which then reduced significantly to 11 per 100,000 after the TLERs were implemented. Overall, the mean facial injury severity score reduced significantly, from 3.2 to 2.3, after the implementation of the new TLERs. Conclusions: The findings of this study indicate that the newly introduced TLERs have resulted in a reduction in the incidence and severity of RTA-related maxillofacial injuries. Continuous improvement and reinforcement of TLERs will further help reduce the burden of these injuries to society in general and health services in particular.

Maxillary hyperplasia and hyperostosis cranialis: a rare manifestation of renal osteodystrophy in a patient with hyperparathyroidism secondary to chronic renal failure.

This case report describes a 21-year-old female patient with a complex medical condition of end-stage chronic renal failure and secondary hyperparathyroidism presenting with a history of gradual enlargement of the facial bones over a period of one year. The facial enlargement primarily involves the maxilla causing a bizarre facial and dental deformity. Based on the clinical, radiographic, and laboratory investigations the facial deformity was confirmed as a rare manifestation of renal osteodystrophy presenting as maxillary hyperplasia and hyperostosis cranialis.

Removal of bone plates in patients with maxillofacial trauma: a retrospective study.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this retrospective study was to assess the incidence of and indication for the removal of bone plates over a 5-year period in patients with maxillofacial trauma who had received treatment at the Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Unit, Al-Nahda Hospital, Muscat, Oman. STUDY DESIGN: The medical records of all patients who underwent removal of bone plates after facial bone trauma were reviewed over a 5-year period (2000 to 2004). Data concerning age and gender distribution, cause of trauma, year of removal, time between insertion and removal, indication for removal, site of removal, and general medical factors were evaluated for each patient. RESULTS: Facial bone fractures in 1,177 cases were diagnosed during the study period, of which 465 cases underwent open reduction and internal fixation using bone plates and screws. In 109 cases bone plates were removed (79 males and 30 females), with an overall removal rate of 23.4%. The most common indication for removal was young age (53.4%) followed by infection (25%). The mandible was the most common site of removal (80%). Most of the plates (86%) that required removal in adults were removed within the first year after insertion. CONCLUSIONS: Based on this study, the incidence of bone plate removal was relatively low, and the most common indications for plate removal were young age followed by infection.

The progression of dental disease in Omani schoolchildren.

Following the first National Oral Health Survey of Omani 12-year-olds in 1993, in 1996 a follow-up survey was performed of the same cohort of subjects as 15-year-olds. The mean DMFT was found to have doubled from 1.5 to 3.2. The oral hygiene status remained poor with only a slight increase of those scored as plaque-free from 11% to 19% whilst the number of children reportedly with supra-gingival lingual calculus had risen from 28.5% to 42.5%.