Clinicostatistical studies were performed in 855 patients with maxillofacial fractures who visited our clinic from 1974 through 1995. The mean age of the patients was 28.6 years, and male patients accounted for 74.6%. However, female patients and patients aged over 60 years have increased in the last 11 years (1985-1995) as compared with the previous 11 years (1974-1984). The mandible was involved in 84.8% of the fractures, and the major cause of injury was traffic accidents (45.4%). As compared with the former period, the number of patients involved in car accidents decreased whereas those involved in motorcycle accidents increased two-fold in the latter period. Forty-one percent of the patients were surgically treated with intraosseous wiring or mini-plates, usually accompanied by intermaxillary fixation (IMF). Non-surgical treatment was used mainly in patients without severe fracture line deviation. The average duration of IMF in the latter period was approximately 7 days shorter than that in the former period due to rigid fixation with mini-plates or earlier release of fixation to permit functional rehabilitation.
