Tendency of patients over 65 years of age who present to the emergency department with a fall to maxillofacial injuries

Objective: Falls are a common cause of emergency department admissions among geriatric patients. This study investigates the incidence of maxillofacial injuries, age and gender distribution, and mortality rates in elderly individuals presenting with ground- level falls. The aim is to characterize the clinical features of fall-related maxillofacial injuries in the geriatric population, identify preventable risk factors, and contribute to the existing literature based on the findings. Materials and Methods: This retrospective study evaluated 1,677 patients aged 65 and over who presented to the Emergency Department of Düzce University Health Practice and Research Hospital with complaints of simple falls between January 1, 2014, and December 31, 2023. Results: The median age of the 1,677 patients included in the study was 78 years (IQR: 71–85). A majority of patients (82.5%) had at least one comorbidity, most commonly cardiovascular diseases (73.3%) and diabetes (29%). While 63.6% of the patients had two or fewer comorbidities, 18.2% had three or more. In our study, falls in individuals over 65 occurred due to traumatic (87.1%) and medical (12.9%) causes. Most incidents took place at home (79.5%), followed by outdoor areas (17.1%) and nursing homes (3.4%). Conclusion: In individuals over 80 years of age, comorbidities (87.5%) and polypharmacy (24%) were found to increase the risk of falls, and mortality rates (10.8%) rose with advancing age. As a result, it was determined that advanced age and comorbidity burden increase the risk of trauma due to falls, while safety measures in both indoor and outdoor environments are significant in reducing this risk. Among maxillofacial traumas, nasal fractures were identified in 10 patients (1.1%) in the 65–79 age group and in 18 patients (2.4%) in the 80+ age group, and this difference was found to be statistically significant. Keywords: Falls, Maxillofacial Injuries, Elderly Population, Comorbidities, Polypharmacy, Mortality, Elderly Care