Relationship between socio-economic position and general, maxillofacial and dental trauma: A national trauma registry study

Trauma, a major public health problem, has been extensively studied. However, characteristics of maxillofacial and dental injuries and their association with socio-economic position (SEP) have not been thoroughly documented. This study retrospectively investigated the occurrence of maxillofacial, dental and general trauma in Israel, and examined the relationship between socio-economic status and trauma-related hospitalizations. Records were obtained for all trauma patients hospitalized and recorded in the National Israel Trauma Registry (ITR) between January 1, 2003 and December 31, 2005. Maxillofacial and dental injuries were separated and further analyzed by residence locality and SEP. The socio-economic index, developed by the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics, was used to determine the socio-economic status of 50 selected localities. During the study period, 77 072 trauma patients were hospitalized, of whom 3972 (5%) were diagnosed with maxillofacial or dental injuries. Among the selected localities, 42 303 hospitalizations were recorded, of which 1886 (4.5%) involved maxillofacial or dental injuries. For all traumas, lower injury rates were found among residents living in high socio-economic localities. The difference in hospitalization rates for maxillofacial and dental injuries was not significant. The cause of injury differed by age, SEP and category of injury. A fall (35%) or road crash (33%) caused most of the maxillofacial injuries, with 50% of dental injuries because of a road crash. Intentional injuries constituted 22% of the maxillofacial-related hospitalizations and were more prevalent among adults living in low SEP localities. These data should be used to promote injury prevention programs with emphasis directed at high risk populations.