The Evolution of the Epidemiology of Facial Fractures Before, During and After the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Objective The purpose of this study has been to analyze retrospectively the clinical records of patients admitted to a single Maxillofacial Surgery center in Northern Italy, evaluating the epidemiological differences during the different phases of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Materials and Methods The retrospective study included patients who had undergone surgery for facial bone fractures at the between February 23, 2020, and February 23, 2022. According to the date of admission, all the data were stratified into four chronological periods representing the four different phases of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic in Italy in terms of restriction: pre-pandemic, first wave, partial restrictions and post-pandemic groups. Finally, any differences in epidemiological data between the groups were analyzed. Results A total of 155 patients were included. The causes of admission of the pre-pandemic group demonstrated a statistically significant difference compared with the first wave group, whereas there were no differences between the pre-pandemic and the other two groups. The first wave group reported statistically significant differences in terms of the fracture etiology also with the partial restrictions and post-pandemic groups. Conclusions During the COVID-19 pandemic, there were profound changes in the epidemiology of fractures influenced by the restrictive measures implemented by the government. At the end of the pandemic, the epidemiology of fractures returned to the same as in the pre-pandemic period.