The Impact of the SARS-COV-2 pandemic on the Prevalence of Injuries among Children and Adolescents at the Upper Silesian Child Health Center in Katowice

Abstract

Background: Maxillofacial injuries quite often relate to children. The etiology of injuries occurring among children and adolescents differs in different age groups. In December 2019, the new SARSCoV-2 coronavirus was identified. Pandemic and the preventive actions had a significant impact on the epidemiology and etiology of injuries in children and adults. The aim of this analysis is assessing the impact of the SARSCoV-2 pandemic and the social restrictions on the frequency and type of maxillofacial injuries among children and adolescents treated at the Children’s Trauma Center in Katowice and the Upper-Silesian Child Health Center. Material and Methods: A retrospective analysis of the medical records of patients with craniofacial fractures is based on six periods of time: February-May 2019 [Spring 2019], February-May 2020 [Spring 2020], JuneSeptember 2019 [Summer 2019], June-September 2020 [Summer 2020], October-January 2019 [Autumn 2019], October-January 2020 [ Autumn 2020]. Results: Craniofacial injuries were the most common in the age group of 10-18 years (65.2%) in March-May 2019 while in March-May 2020 injuries were as well common in the both age group. Violence, sports and traffic accidents were the cause of injuries in 27.3% each in June-September 2019, but playing sport was the main cause of injury in June-September 2020 (42.9%). Differences in the overall number of patients with craniofacial trauma were observed in every period of time. Conclusion: There were differences in the number of patients reporting to the Upper Silesian Child Health Center. In the peak periods of COVID-19 in the spring and autumn, the number and variety of cases of injuries were significantly different from the previous norms.