Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39353156›Full record

ArticleOtolaryngology--head and neck surgery : official journal of American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery2025

Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Incidence, Etiology, Demographics, and Treatment of Craniomaxillofacial Trauma.

F Jeffrey Lorenz, Andrew J Rothka, Heather K Schopper, Jessyka G Lighthall

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Otolaryngology--head and neck surgery : official journal of American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
  3. Frequency and patterns of craniomaxillofacial surgery during and after COVID-19: analysis of the Japanese national database.European journal of trauma and emergency surgery : official publication of the European Trauma Society · 2026
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

F Jeffrey LorenzDepartment of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey, Pennsylvania, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5902-7054
Andrew J RothkaCollege of Medicine, The Pennsylvania State University, Hershey, Pennsylvania, USA.
Heather K SchopperDepartment of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey, Pennsylvania, USA.
Jessyka G LighthallDepartment of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey, Pennsylvania, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8500-5059

Funding

Penn State Clinical and Translational Science InstituteUL1TR002014 · NCATS · PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIV HERSHEY MED CTR · PI KRASCHNEWSKI, JENNIFER L. · 2016 to 2025
$33.7M
NCATS NIH HHS UL1 TR002014
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveTo compare the incidence, etiology, demographics, and treatment of craniomaxillofacial (CMF) trauma before, during, and after COVID-19. STUDY

designRetrospective cohort.

settingEighty-three health care organizations across the United States.

methodsThe TriNetX Research Network identified 77,977,880 patients during 2017 to 2022. CMF fractures and soft tissue injuries during March to August of each year, aligning with the 2020 pandemic lockdown, were analyzed.

resultsIn 2020, compared to immediately prepandemic in 2019, there were significant reductions of -17.5% in facial fractures and -19.0% in soft tissue injuries (P < .001). Conversely, in 2021, both injury types increased by +16.7% and +16.3%, respectively, compared to 2020 (P < .001). Changes in injury mechanisms in 2020 included significant decreases in athletic injuries (-57.6%), falls (-16.8%), assaults (-15.5%), motor vehicle collisions (-8.7%), and pedestrian accidents (-6.9%) (P < .01), while off-road vehicle (+48.4%), bicycle (+16.2%), and motorcycle (+8.9%) accidents increased (P < .01). The 10- to 14- and 5- to 9-year-old age groups experienced the most substantial reductions in facial fractures (-39.7% and -29.9%, respectively) and soft tissue injuries (-29.2% and -28.3%, respectively) in 2020 compared to 2019 (P < .001). Operative management of fractures and soft tissue injuries dropped by -20.3% and -12.4%, respectively, in 2020 versus 2019, and then rebounded with +15.8% and +14.6% increases in 2021 compared to 2020 (P < .001). In 2022, compared to prepandemic rates of 2019, there were fewer patients with facial fractures (-2.8%), soft tissue injuries (-4.5%), and operative repairs (-6.9% for fractures, -1.2% for soft tissue injuries) (P < .03).

conclusionCMF trauma decreased in 2020, with subsequent years showing a rebound to levels slightly below those immediately prior to pandemic onset. Changes in etiology, demographics, and treatment highlight the complex dynamics of traumatic injuries during periods of societal disruption.

Indexed as

COVID-19Facial InjuriesMaxillofacial InjuriesSoft Tissue InjuriesAdolescentAdultAgedChildChild, PreschoolFemaleHumansIncidenceMaleMiddle AgedPandemicsRetrospective StudiesCOVID‐19craniomaxillofacial traumafacial fracturesfacial lacerationsfacial soft tissue injuriesfacial trauma

Identifiers

PMID39353156
PMCPMC11773430

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.