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. 2024 Apr;23(2):371-379.
doi: 10.1007/s12663-022-01765-8. Epub 2022 Jul 22.

Epidemiological Study of Frontal Sinus Fractures: Evaluation of 16 Years of Care at the Faculty of Dentistry of Ribeirão Preto/Brazil

Lucas Costa Nogueira  1 , José Henrique Santana Quinto  1 , Priscila Faleiros Bertelli Trivellato  1 , Cássio Edvard Sverzut  1 , Alexandre Elias Trivellato  1
Affiliations

Epidemiological Study of Frontal Sinus Fractures: Evaluation of 16 Years of Care at the Faculty of Dentistry of Ribeirão Preto/Brazil

Lucas Costa Nogueira et al. J Maxillofac Oral Surg. 2024 Apr.

Abstract

Purpose: Aiming to evaluate and study the epidemiological profile of frontal sinus fractures treated in the region of Ribeirão Preto-Brazil.

Methods: Sixteen years of activity in the Oral and Maxillofacial service of the Faculty of Dentistry of Ribeirão Preto/SP (FORP/USP), totaling 9,736 consultations, 4,524 with facial fractures, those diagnosed with frontal sinus fracture (113) were evaluated and selected for the study.

Results: Frontal sinus fractures accounted for 2.5% of facial fractures, the majority occurring in men (89.4%), concentrated in the age group 21-30 years old, with 52.2% of cases being caused by road traffic accidents (RTA). Associations with other facial fractures are common and appeared in 75.2% of cases. Treatment was followed either surgically, by open reduction internal fixation (52.2%) or conservatively (35.4%). Analyzing only the 28 isolated frontal sinus fractures, the most common treatment was conservative (46.4%). surgical treatment dropped to 25%. The most common postoperative complications were temporal branch paralysis and supraorbital nerve paresthesia, both occurring in 30.5% of surgical cases.

Conclusion: The frequency of frontal sinus fractures may be decreasing, but the pattern of occurrence in young men due to road traffic accidents does not seem to change, fortunately the appearance of serious complications is not common and it is usually associated with more severe trauma.

Keywords: Epidemiology; Frontal sinus; Maxillofacial surgery; Skull fractures; Trauma.

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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Age distribution
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Etiology with subdivided road traffic accidents
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Signs and symptoms. a ION: Infraorbital Nerve, SON: Supraorbital Nerve. b ION: Infraorbital Nerve, SON: Supraorbital Nerve, EML: Eye Movement Limitation
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Etiology of isolated frontal sinus fractures
Fig. 5
Fig. 5
Sing and symptoms of isolated frontal sinus fractures. SON—Supraorbital Nerve
Fig. 6
Fig. 6
How all the fractures were treated
Fig. 7
Fig. 7
How isolated frontal sinus fractures were treated
Fig. 8
Fig. 8
Post-operative complications ION: Infraorbital Nerve, SON: Supraorbital Nerve
Fig. 9
Fig. 9
Follow-up
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