Prevalence and etiology of midfacial fractures: A study of 799 cases

Background and objective: The prevalence and etiology of midfacial fractures varies among countries. Until now, knowledge about such type of injuries in the region of the Baltic countries was rather scarce. The purpose of the study was to analyze the prevalence, etiology and localization of midfacial fractures treated at the Vilnius University Hospital Žalgiris Clinic, Vilnius, Lithuania. Materials and methods: The medical records of patients treated for midfacial fractures during the period January 2005 to December 2010 were analyzed for gender, age distribution, frequency and type of injury, cause of fractures, consciousness status and alcohol abuse during trauma. Results: The records of 799 patients were analyzed. The male-to-female ratio was 4.4:1. The mean age of the patients was 33.16 14.0 years (min 1, max 87). As much as 68.8% of injuries were zygomatic fractures, 27.9% were maxillary, and 3.3% were isolated orbital floor fractures. The most frequent causes for injury were interpersonal violence (64%), followed by falls (16.3%) and traffic accidents (8.3%). Most midfacial fractures (65.3%) occurred between April and October (P < 0.05), on weekends (58.2%; P < 0.05) and at night (62.0%; P < 0.05). In 14%, trauma reports indicated the abuse of alcohol. More often such persons received more than one midfacial bone fracture (P < 0.05) concurrently. Conclusions: This study revealed that the main cause of midfacial fractures was assault. Male patients, aged 15–34 years, more often sustain midfacial fractures. Preventive health care programs should seek measures in the reduction of aggression and violence in close future involving family, school and community institutions

Importance of education on infection control and on the hand skin health of dental personnel

Background. Hand hygiene plays a significant role in infection control, yet it is performed correctly only 40% of the time. The daily use of soap, disinfectants and gloves can also affect hand skin health. Periodical educational interventions regarding hand hygiene can improve infection control. Objectives. The current study aimed to identify the existing hand hygiene practices applied by dental personnel, to evaluate knowledge about infection control, to determine the adverse effects of hand hygiene on the skin, and to assess the effectiveness of the educational interventions concerning these topics. Material and methods. This study was carried out at the Vilnius University Hospital Žalgiris Clinic, Lithuania. At the 1st stage, data was collected by using a self-administered questionnaire. At the 2nd stage, dental personnel underwent an educational intervention and the surveys were redistributed to determine any changes in the level of knowledge. Results. In most cases, dental workers performed hand hygiene when it was needed. The proper method was selected by 53.4% on average. The main mistakes were the excessive use of soap and only occasional use of a disinfectant. The reported hand skin side effects included dryness (68.8%) and fissures (37.5%). Only half (50.5%) of the staff regularly used emollients. After the educational intervention, there was a 24.9% improvement in hand hygiene compliance. Conclusions. The correct procedure for hand hygiene was reported by half of the participants. Washing hands with soap was the preferable choice, while alcohol-based hand rub (ABHR) was avoided. Skin problems were reported by more than 70% of the respondents. Training had a positive impact on the hand hygiene knowledge of the dental personnel