Pattern and Distribution of Symphysis and Parasymphysis Fracture among Patients of Road Traffic Accident at Tertiary Care Hospital Karachi

Maxillofacial trauma resulting from road traffic accidents (RTAs) constitutes a significant public health burden, particularly in developing countries. Objectives: To establish the trend and location of symphysis and parasymphysis mandibular injuries and their relationship with the road traffic accident mechanism. Methods: This cross-sectional research was done at the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC), Karachi, during a period of six months after receiving ethical approval. Non-probability consecutive sampling was used to include 122 patients aged 18-60 years who sustained a mandibular fracture as a result of RTA either at the symphysis or parasymphysis. The structured Performa was utilized in data collection, and SPSS version 23.0 in data analysis. Descriptive statistics were used, and a chi-square test was used to identify the association, and a p-value less than 0.05 was taken to be significant. Results: The average age of patients was 34.6 +9.8 years with the male preponderance (79.5%). The majority were related to motorcycles (69.7% and 78.7% of the cases, respectively), and most of the victims did not take any preventive measures (69.7%). The most commonly associated was the parasymphysis region (53.3%), which was then followed by symphysis (32.0%), and most fractures were unilateral (68.0%) and displaced (55.7%). A statistically significant relationship between mechanism of injury and fracture site (p=0.032) and fracture pattern (p=0.041) existed. Conclusion: Symphysis and parasymphysis mandibular fractures are mostly caused by motorcycle road traffic accidents, especially in young males.