Background and objectives : To investigate the prevalence, diagnostic, anatomic sites, hospitalization time and management of sports-related maxillofacial fractures.

Patients and methods : A retrospective analysis of 502 patients with maxillofacial trauma between April 2010 and June 2012. Variables analyzed included cause of injury, diagnostic, site of fracture, hospitalization time and method of treatment.

Results : The results showed that sports-related facial fractures accounted for 40.9%, with a male:female ratio of 8.9:1.1, with the most of these secondary to Soccer (44.9%), Rugby (26.3%), Cycling (5.4%), Basketball (4.9%) and Skiing (3.9%). Nasal fractures were the most frequent presentation (83.9%), followed by mandibular (6.3%) and orbital fractures (4.9%). 65% of sports-related fracture patients needed from 0 to 1 days of hospitalization. Almost 93% of them needed surgical treatment.

Conclusions : Nearly 41% of all maxillofacial fractures were sports-related, with most occurring in males. Most of the fractures involved the nose, mandible and orbital rims. Active intervention was needed for almost 93% of all fractures.

Key words: maxillofacial trauma; sports; epidemiology