ORIGINAL ARTICLE

Sports related maxillofacial injuries: the first maxillofacial trauma database in Switzerland

A K Exadaktylos¹, N M Eggensperger², S Eggli³, K M Smolka², H Zimmermann⁴ and T Iizuka²

¹ Department of Anaesthesiology and Emergency Unit, Inselspital, University Hospital Bern, Switzerland
² Department of Cranio-Maxillofacial Surgery, Inselspital, University Hospital Bern
³ Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Inselspital, University Hospital Bern
⁴ Department of Emergency Medicine, Inselspital, University Hospital Bern

Correspondence to:
Correspondence to:
Dr Exadaktylos
Department of Anaesthesiology and Emergency Medicine, Inselspital, University Hospital Bern, Bern 3010, Switzerland; aristomenis{at}exadaktylos.ch

Background: With the increase in the amount of medical data handled by emergency units, advances in computerisation have become necessary. New computer technology should have a major influence on accident analysis and prevention and the quality of research in the future.

Objectives: To investigate the occurrence of sports related maxillofacial injuries using a newly installed relational database. To establish the first sports trauma database in Switzerland.

Methods: The Qualicare databank was used to prospectively review 57 248 case histories of patients treated in the Department of Emergency Medicine between January 2000 and December 2002. Pre-defined key words were used to collect data on sports related maxillofacial injuries.

Results: A total of 750 patients with maxillofacial injuries were identified. Ninety (12%) were sports related maxillofacial fractures. Most (27%) were sustained during skiing and snowboarding, 22% during team sports such as soccer or ice hockey, and 21% were from cycling accidents. Sixty eight per cent of the cyclists, 50% of the ice hockey players and soccer players, and 48% of the skiers and snowboarders had isolated fractures of the midface. Fractures of the mandible were noted predominantly in contact sports.

Conclusions: Computerisation of trauma and emergency units and the introduction of customised software can significantly reduce the workload of researchers and doctors. The effective use of new computer technology should have a considerable influence on research and the quality of future prospective and retrospective studies.

Keywords: maxillofacial injuries; accidents; trauma; surveillance; computer

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