Incidence and Severity of Maxillofacial Injuries During the Second Lebanon War Among Israeli Soldiers and Civilians
Purpose
To analyze the incidence and severity of maxillofacial injuries in the Second Lebanon War, that occurred during the summer of 2006, among Israeli soldiers and civilians.
Patients and Methods
This is a retrospective cohort study of patients recorded in the Israel National Trauma Registry during the Second Lebanon War. Data refer to all general hospitals throughout the country. Data were analyzed according to the etiology of the injury, severity of trauma using the Injury Severity Score, trauma location, and duration of hospital stay. Cases with multiple injuries that included maxillofacial injuries were separated and further analyzed according to the above parameters. Patients with only dental injuries and superficial facial soft tissue lacerations were excluded because they were referred to the military dental clinics and not to general hospitals.
Results
Maxillofacial injuries were found in 36 (6.4%) of the 565 wounded. Patients with maxillofacial injuries ranged in age from 20 to 44 years (mean age, 25.5 ± 5.7 years). Greater than 50% of the injuries required more than 3 hospitalization days. Mortality rate of the maxillofacial injured was 2.8%. Most of the maxillofacial injuries (33; 91.7%) were combined with other organ injuries; 9 (25%) patients also had dental injuries.
Conclusion
In the Second Lebanon War, the incidence and severity of true maxillofacial injuries, without dental injuries alone, were relatively low compared with previous reports of other conflicts. However, because most injuries involved multiple organs, special attention is required when planning and providing emergency, as well as secondary and tertiary medical care to war wounded.
⁎Clinical Instructor, Department of Oral Rehabilitation, The Maurice and Gabriela Goldschleger School of Dental Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel, and Unit of Periodontology, Department of Oral and Dental Medicine, Rambam Health Care Campus, Haifa, Israel.
†Head, Zrifin Central Dental Clinic, The Health and Preventive Medicine Institute, The Centre of Medical Services, Medical Corps, Israel Defense Forces, Jerusalem, Israel.
‡Head, Israel Center for Trauma and Emergency Medicine Research, Tel Hashomer, Israel.
§Researcher, Israel Center for Trauma and Emergency Medicine Research, Tel Hashomer, Israel.
‖Researcher, Israel Center for Trauma and Emergency Medicine Research, Tel Hashomer, Israel.
#Head, Endodontics and Dental Trauma Unit, Department of Oral and Dental Medicine, Rambam Health Care Campus, Haifa, B. Rappaport-Faculty of Medicine, Technion Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel.
Address correspondence and reprint requests to Dr Lin: Endodontics and Dental Trauma Unit, Department of Oral and Dental Medicine, Rambam Medical Center, POB 9602, Haifa, Israel
ABSTRACT