AB126. SOH22ABS057. The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic effects on Maxillofacial Trauma at the National Maxillofacial Unit: evidence of a potential increase in domestic violence?—This study reviews maxillofacial trauma patients (MFT) during the COVID pandemic
Head & Neck/ENT

AB126. SOH22ABS057. The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic effects on Maxillofacial Trauma at the National Maxillofacial Unit: evidence of a potential increase in domestic violence?—This study reviews maxillofacial trauma patients (MFT) during the COVID pandemic

Harriet Byrne, Kumara Ekanayake, Colm Murphy, Gerard Kearns, Liam Costello

Department of Otorhinolaryngology Head & Neck Surgery, St. James Hospital, Dublin, Ireland

Background: This study reviews maxillofacial trauma patients (MFT) during the coronavirus disease (COVID) pandemic.

Methods: The study reviewed two cohorts: Group 1 pre COVID, Group 2 COVID (March–June 2020, and November–May 2020/2021). Group 1 matched with the COVID cohort one year earlier. The following information was recorded: demographics, fracture aetiology and type.

Results: The study population included 1,566 patients: Group 1 n=917 (male 634, female 283), Group 2 n=649 (male 434, female 215), representing a 30% reduction in MFT. Falls and assaults were the most common aetiology in each group: Group 1: falls 39% n=357 (male n=169, 47%, female n=188, 52%), Group 2: falls 40.2% n=261 (male n=113, 43%, female n=148, 57%), Group 1: assault 37% n=338 (male n=290, 86%, female n=48, 14%), Group 2: assault 34% n=220 (male n=195, 89%, female n=25, 11%). Sports MFT decreased from 10% (n=95) to 4% (n=25). Bicycle MFT increased from 4% (n=37) to 11% (n=69). Females had an increase in mandibular 8–16%, zygomatic 7–17% and orbital fractures 19–28%. This pattern of mid face fractures suggests assault from a known assailant.

Conclusions: There was a reduction in MFT during COVID lockdown, with a change in injury mechanism: falls in women and bicycle related injuries increased. Sporting injuries reduced. Female fracture pattern differed during COVID lockdown, with a greater proportion of midface face fractures suggesting a known assailant injury.

Keywords: Assaults; coronavirus disease-10 pandemic (COVID-10 pandemic); domestic violence; falls; maxillofacial trauma

Acknowledgments

Funding: None.

Footnote

Conflicts of Interest: The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.

Ethical Statement: The authors are accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved.

Open Access Statement: This is an Open Access article distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0), which permits the non-commercial replication and distribution of the article with the strict proviso that no changes or edits are made and the original work is properly cited (including links to both the formal publication through the relevant DOI and the license). See: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/.

doi: 10.21037/map-22-ab126
Cite this abstract as: Byrne H, Ekanayake K, Murphy C, Kearns G, Costello L. AB126. SOH22ABS057. The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic effects on Maxillofacial Trauma at the National Maxillofacial Unit: evidence of a potential increase in domestic violence?—This study reviews maxillofacial trauma patients (MFT) during the COVID pandemic. Mesentery Peritoneum 2022;6:AB126.

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