Surgically Treated Maxillofacial Fractures in Dr. Franco Ravera Zunino Hospital in Chile: a Retrospective Study of 5 Years Experience

Maxillofacial trauma is one of the fields of surgical activity in our specialty and constitutes a relevant problem in highly complex hospitals, the presence of our specialists being essential within an interdisciplinary team for the resolution of this type of pathology.An adequate management and early treatment is essential from the moment the patient is admitted, without leaving aside the sequelae and the subsequent rehabilitation work for the work and daily reinsertion of the patients.The purpose of this work is to present the experience of the Maxillofacial Surgery team of the Rancagua Hospital in the surgical resolution of 320 maxillofacial fractures with a retrospective review of 5 years.A study was carried out with analysis of the surgical protocols of patients operated on for maxillofacial trauma, in the central pavilion, under general anesthesia, in a period of 5 years.The variables analyzed were diagnosis, age, sex, compromised facial third, type of fracture, approaches used, and type of rigid internal fixation.368 surgical procedures were performed.The average age of the operated patients was 36 years, with a predominance of the male sex (80.4 %), the middle third was the most affected (49.1 %) followed by fractures of the lower third of the face (35.5 %).It is necessary to develop epidemiological investigations of these pathologies in order to obtain demographic conclusions and contribute to unifying diagnostic and treatment criteria, thus establishing efficient prevention and treatment policies in relation to each service and as a whole at the public health level.