Year: 2014
Type: article
Abstract: Some of the major causes of maxillofacial injuries are assault/ \ninter-personal violence (IPV), motor vehicle accidents \n(MVAs), work-related injuries, sporting accidents and falls. \nHowever, the epidemiological data for the different types of \ninjury vary significantly and are influenced by geographic \nlocation, socioeconomic status, the time of year when patients \nare assessed and the type of facility where the study \nis conducted. \nThe 2012 Statistics South Africa's release document on \n'mortality and causes of death in South Africa' indicated that \n9.8% of all deaths in South Africa were reported as nonnatural. \nTransport accidents were the third most common \n(11.2%) reported cause of non-natural deaths followed by \nassaults at 10.2%. According to a number of international \nstudies, the face is the most common site affected by assault- \nrelated trauma. \nSubstance abuse is a major public health concern in South \nAfrica and has also been rated as the leading health problem \nin the United States. Intoxication is also the most common \ndenominator associated with violence and injury. In a \nSwiss study, Eggensperger found that almost a quarter of \nassault-related facial fractures were caused by people intoxicated \nwith alcohol, illicit drugs or a combination thereof. \nThis article explores epidemiologic data and relevant information \nrelated to maxillofacial trauma, specifically associated \nwith alcohol and substance abuse.
Source: PubMed
Authors: S Ranchod, D A Smit, J A Morkel
Institution: University of the Western Cape
Language: English
Subfield: Surgery
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W127209299