Maxillofacial injuries due to work-related accidents in the North West of Italy

Introduction: The aim of this study was to assess the incidence and patterns of work-related maxillofacial injuries, identifying worker categories with a high risk of injury. Material and methods: From a systematic computer-assisted database that has continuously recorded patients hospitalized with maxillofacial fractures, only patients with work-related injuries were considered. Occupation, mechanism of injury, and demographic and clinical data were analyzed. Results: Work-related facial injuries represented the fifth most common cause of injury, with a percentage of 6.3 %. Maxillofacial fractures were most often seen in construction workers (37.9 %). The middle third was involved in 67 % of the cases; the mandible was the most frequently injured site. Conclusions: Work-related maxillofacial trauma is rare, but it is often complex and challenging as Facial Injury Severity Scale values show. In agreement with the few published reports, construction workers, together with farm and forestry workers, are at the highest risk of injuries, mainly because of struck by a thrown, projected, or falling object.