ABC Medical Center > Diseases > Maxillofacial Trauma

What is maxillofacial trauma?

23 January 2026

This is the set of injuries and damages originating from various traumas to the structures of the face, whether bones, muscles, or alveolar-dental tissues (teeth, mucous membranes, alveolar bone, gums).

Maxillofacial trauma is one of the most frequently occurring types of trauma, so much so that it has become a significant health problem that causes high medical, social, and economic costs due to the physiological and aesthetic damage they cause.

Maxillofacial trauma is more frequent in males, although in recent years, a rebound has been observed in women. The most common causes are:

  • Automobile accidents.
  • Work accidents.
  • Sports injuries.
  • Violence.
  • Falls.

Regarding the type of trauma by age, fractures appear first in adults, and alveolar-dental trauma is predominant in infants.

The management of maxillofacial trauma in Emergency areas requires a comprehensive evaluation performed by a multidisciplinary team, since, being high-impact blows, injuries often occur simultaneously in various anatomical structures that require specialized medical knowledge for each one.

There are various types of fractures classified according to the affected structures:

  • Frontal bone.
  • Nasal.
  • Orbital.
  • Zygomatic bone.
  • Extended fractures.
  • Le Fort 1.
  • Le Fort 2 and 3.
  • Panfacial.
  • Mandibular.

Other injuries are alveolar-dental traumas that include damage to the teeth, alveolar bone, and periodontal tissue.

How Maxillofacial Trauma is Managed in the Emergency Area:

  • Clearing of the air passages (airway management).
  • Cardiovascular and peripheral evaluation.
  • Review of neurological damage and state of consciousness.
  • Verification of cervical injuries.
  • Imaging studies such as computed tomography (CT scan).
  • Diagnosis.
  • Specific treatment.

Injuries of this type are often polytraumatic, requiring a multidisciplinary approach involving orthopedists/traumatologists, neurologists, neurosurgeons, ophthalmologists, otolaryngologists (ENT specialists), and other specialists, depending on the case.

At the Center for Orthopedics and Traumatology, we seek to improve the lives of patients restricted or immobilized by musculoskeletal disorders or injuries. We specialize in the care of the locomotor system by integrating the latest medical, biological, and technological advances, in strict adherence to the highest international standards of patient care.

Related centers and departments Maxillofacial Trauma

Orthopedics and Traumatology Center
High Specialty Surgery Center
Radiology and Molecular Imaging
Clinical Laboratory

Sources:

  • centralcoastortho.com
  • aaos.org
  • orthoinfo.aaos.org
  • cun.es
  • mayoclinic.org
  • medlineplus.gov
  • topdoctors.es
  • medigraphic.com
  • Martínez-Ruiz H, Pérez Campos-Mayoral E, Pérez Campos-Mayoral C, et al. Herida maxilofacial por proyectil de arma de fuego. Rev Mex Med Forense. 2020;5(3):1-8.
  • Morales MR, Domínguez ÁJA, Rodríguez GCS, et al. Manejo de paciente con Traumatismo facial; presentación de caso. Rev Med UV. 2016;16(1):31-43.
  • Morales ND, Vila MD. Atención inicial al politraumatizado maxilofacial: evaluación, conducta terapéutica y prevención. Rev Cubana Estomatol. 2015;52(3):92-104.
  • Ponce GV, Franco CR. Traumatismo maxilofacial: revisión de la clasificación actual mediante tomografía computada multicorte. Anales de Radiología México. 2012;11(4):228-236.

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