title: Changing trends in causes and patterns of facial fractures in children.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To review the epidemiology of facial fractures in children and to analyze whether it has changed over time.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective review of records of children aged < or = 15 years diagnosed for fracture during 2 10-year periods.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 378 children were diagnosed with fractures, 187 in 1980-1989 and 191 in 1993-2002. The proportion of children with mandibular fractures decreased by 13.6 percentage-points from the first period to the second, whereas the proportion of patients with midfacial fractures increased by 18.7 percentage-points. Assault as a causative factor increased by 5.5 percentage-points, almost exclusively among children aged 13-15 years, with a high percentage (23.5%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Recognition of a change in fracture patterns over time is probably due to the increased use of computerized tomographic scanning.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Helsinki University Central Hospital, Helsinki, Finland. hanna.thoren@helsinki.fi
authors.forename: Hanna
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Thorén
authors.forename: Petri
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Iso-Kungas
authors.forename: Tateyuki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Iizuka
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lindqvist
authors.forename: Jyrki
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Törnwall
mesh_terms: D000058:Accidental Falls / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000063:Accidents, Traffic / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000293:Adolescent; D001265:Athletic Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology; D001642:Bicycling / Q000293:injuries; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005147:Facial Bones / Q000293:injuries*; D005260:Female; D005387:Finland / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007223:Infant; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012887:Skull Fractures / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D014754:Violence