Prevalence and pattern of maxillofacial injuries associated with domestic violence: A retrospective study at a major trauma center.

Background/aim: This study aimed to analyze the frequency and pattern of maxillofacial injuries associated with domestic violence.
Materials and Methods: Medical records of victims of domestic violence between May 2016 and May 2023 were scrutinized retrospectively. The following data were analyzed: gender and age, history of previous abuse, hospital admission, pregnancy, type of facial injuries, anatomical location of injuries, side of injuries, concomitant injuries, mechanism of impact, treatment modality, and history of drug and alcohol abuse.
Results: Seventy-eight patients were included, comprising of 75 (96.2%) women and 3 (3.8%) men. Domestic violence was an etiology of 2.7% of all maxillofacial injuries. The mean age was 27.06 ± 5.5 years. 33.3% of cases had a history of previous domestic violence. The assailant was drug addicted in 47.4% of cases. The attacker was the current partner of the victim in 79.5% of the victims. Soft tissue injuries were found in 96.1% of cases. Maxillofacial fracture was observed in 52.6% of victims among which zygoma was the most common (16.7%) followed by the nose and mandible (15.4%). Isolated fracture was observed in 85.3% of patients and 71.8% of the injuries were observed on the left. Concomitant injuries were present in 51.3% of patients with arms/hands being the most frequent (48.7%). Punch (67.9%) constituted the majority of the mechanism of impact. Based on the statistical analysis, punches resulted in significantly higher soft tissue contusion (p = .046), and injuries that required no intervention were significantly higher in punched victims (p = .002).
Conclusion: Maxillofacial soft tissue injuries with or without isolated fracture on the left side of the zygoma, mandibular angle, or nose in association with arms/hands injuries in young adult women could be clues of domestic violence. Appropriate care such as preventive programs for drug or alcohol abuse should be implemented to reduce domestic violence, thereby reducing these injuries.
(© 2023 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)