Abstract
Soft tissue injuries are a common type of oral-maxillofacial trauma and may occur in isolation or associated with fractures. Although isolated soft tissue injuries （ISTI） are common, relevant studies are rare. The aim of this study was to investigate the distributions, patterns, and treatment modalities of ISTIs. Records of patients over a 27-year period who were treated for oral-maxillofacial injuries were reviewed.
Of the 1,329 patients with oral-maxillofacial injuries, 388 （29.2％） sustained ISTIs. The male to female ratio was 1.49：1. The age distribution showed bimodal peaks in populations aged under 10 and 70–79 years. The ratio of patients aged＞60 years increased from 19.2％ to 30.6％. Simple falls （34.0％） were the main cause of ISTIs, followed by self-inflicted bites （22.2％）. The tongue （31.6％） was the most common intraoral site, while the lower lip （30.7％） was the most common extraoral site. A total of 215 patients received conservative treatment and 173 underwent surgery. A total of 31 patients （8.0％） were using antithrombotic agents. In 90 patients 60 years or older, 28 （31.1％） were using antithrombotic agents. The portion of elderly patients with ISTIs related to antithrombotic agents tended to increase.
The results of this analysis of 388 patients with oral-maxillofacial ISTIs over a 27-year period showed that ISTIs have unique features that differ from hard tissue injuries.
