Maxillofacial Injuries Caused by the 2008 Wenchuan Earthquake in China

Liang, Xin-hua; Tang, Ya-ling; Luo, En; Zhu, Gui-quan; Zhou, Hao; Hu, Jing; Tang, Xiu-fa; Wang, Xiao-yi

doi:10.1016/j.joms.2009.03.019

« Previous Next »Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
Volume 67, Issue 7 , Pages 1442-1445, July 2009

Maxillofacial Injuries Caused by the 2008 Wenchuan Earthquake in China

Xin-hua Liang, MD, PhD
- Associate Professor, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, West China College of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, People's Republic of China
Ya-ling Tang, MD
- Assistant Professor, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, West China College of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, People's Republic of China
- Address correspondence and reprint requests to Dr Tang: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, West China College of Stomatology, Sichuan University, No. 14, Section 3, Renminnan Road, Chengdu, Sichuan 610041, People's Republic of China
En Luo, MD, PhD
- Assistant Professor, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, West China College of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, People's Republic of China
Gui-quan Zhu, MD, PhD
- Research Fellow, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, West China College of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, People's Republic of China
Hao Zhou, MD, PhD
- Research Fellow, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, West China College of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, People's Republic of China
Jing Hu, MD, PhD
- Professor, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, West China College of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, People's Republic of China
Xiu-fa Tang, MD, PhD
- Professor, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, West China College of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, People's Republic of China
Xiao-yi Wang, MD, PhD
- Professor, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, West China College of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, People's Republic of China

Purpose

To describe the pattern of maxillofacial injuries sustained by survivors of the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake in the West China Hospital of Stomatology from May 12 to June 23, 2008.

Patients and Methods

Cross-sectional data were analyzed using hospital-based records of earthquake survivors admitted to the West China Hospital of Stomatology. A self-designed form to record information about variables such as the gender and age of the survivors and type of location of soft and hard tissue injuries was used.

Results

The age of earthquake survivors of maxillofacial injuries ranged from 4 to 84 years. Fractures and soft tissue injuries were the most common of all injuries in the maxillofacial region, constituting 40.7% and 38.9%, respectively. Thirteen patients (11.5%) had dental injuries and 9 (8.0%) also had other organ injuries.

Conclusion

During the Wenchuan earthquake, the incidence of maxillofacial injuries in survivors was relatively low compared with injury in other organs. However, because most injuries were maxillofacial fractures and facial soft tissue damage, special attention was paid to maxillofacial injury when planning and providing emergency treatment. The effective management of earthquake injuries and those caused by other types of disaster requires a multidisciplinary approach, and maxillofacial surgeons should form an integral part of this multidisciplinary team.