Facial injuries in skiing - A retrospective study of 549 cases

In the last 2 decades, reports of skiing injuries have shown an increasing number of skiers with severe trauma. This article provides an account of a retrospective study of 549 patients with 1155 facial injuries sustained whi le skiing who received treatment at the Department of Oral and Maxillofacia l Surgery at the University Hospital in Innsbruck, Austria between 1991 and 1996. The study was based on a questionnaire answered by the patients and on case report forms. Most of the patients were male (65.2%) and were aged between 3 and 81 years (average 28.4 years). A simple fall while skiing was the main type of acci dent (45.9%), followed by collisions with other people (23.5%). Injuries we re classified into 1 of 3 groups: (i) lesions of the soft tissue (32.2% of all injuries); (ii) dentoalveolar traumas (24.3%); and (iii) fractures of f acial bones (43.5%). Lacerations and haematomas were the most frequent lesi ons in patients with injuries to the soft tissues. The group of patients wi th dentoalveolar trauma mainly presented with fractures of tooth crowns. Fr actures involving the mandible and the zygomatic bone were predominant in p atients in the third group. Concomitant injuries mainly included injuries t o the brain and skull fractures. Treatment was ambulatory, or by admission and surgery. We did not observe an increase in the number of skiing accidents causing fa cial injury in the last 5 years. Facial injuries represented 4% of all skii ng injuries, a lower proportion than in other sports.