ROSEMONT, Ill. – Children playing baseball and softball are more likely to sustain sports-related fractures around the eye compared to other sports, according to a new study.
Published in the March issue of the Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery (JOMS) – the official peer-reviewed journal of the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons (AAOMS) – the research study found that 77 percent of facial orbital fractures (injuries around the eye) in young athletes occurred while playing baseball and softball, primarily from being hit in the face by a ball.
Key findings from the study
Researchers examined the cases of 101 pediatric patients at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta from 2015 to 2021 who sustained orbital injuries from sports. Their findings show:
- After baseball and softball (77 percent), basketball accounted for 10 percent of 101 orbital injury cases, followed by golf (5 percent) soccer (4 percent), football (2 percent) and lacrosse (2 percent).
- In addition to ball collisions (78 percent), injuries also resulted from collisions with another player (14 percent), unmoving objects (5 percent) and swinging bats (3 percent).
- 92 percent of orbital injuries were to boys ages 3 to 19.
- The median age of the pediatric patients in the study was 13.
- The most common fracture was to the orbital floor – the thin bone plate that forms the bottom of the eye socket.
Why the findings matter
While 77 percent of sports-related orbital fractures were managed without surgery, 23 percent required surgical intervention to repair the orbital floor, highlighting the need for improved safety equipment, according to the study.
“Sports injuries are a common cause of orbital trauma in children. Sports teams should spend time on prevention of sports-induced orbital trauma in children,” the study’s authors said. “Findings from this project could be utilized in designing safety equipment standards for participants to further prevent such injuries.”
As the leading organization for oral and maxillofacial surgeons, AAOMS is committed to advancing patient safety and injury prevention through education, advocacy and research. April is National Facial Protection Month, a campaign founded by AAOMS to encourage athletes to proactively mitigate sports-related injuries to the head and face by using safety equipment.
AAOMS advocates the use of protective mouth guards and appropriate masks and helmets for children who participate in sports at any level. For baseball and softball, AAOMS advises players wear batting helmets with a facemask or jaw guard and field facemasks while fielding.
The Association urges all youth sports organizations and families to prioritize facial protection and adopt safety measures, ensuring all young athletes enjoy the game without risking serious injury.
The authors of “Patterns of Orbital Fractures Caused by Sports Injuries in Children” are Joyce Xu, DMD, MD, MS, and Shelly Abramowicz, DMD, MPH, both from Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta, Ga.
The full article can be accessed at https://www.joms.org/article/S0278-2391(24)00973-X/fulltext
For more information on sports-related facial trauma and prevention, visit MyOMS.org/What-We-Do/Facial-Injury-Trauma-Surgery/Preventing-Facial-Injuries-During-Sports.
The Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery is published by the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons to present to the dental and medical communities comprehensive coverage of new techniques, important developments and innovative ideas in oral and maxillofacial surgery. Practice-applicable articles help develop the methods used to handle dentoalveolar surgery, facial injuries and deformities, TMJ disorders, oral and head and neck cancer, jaw reconstruction, anesthesia and analgesia. The journal also includes specifics on new instruments and diagnostic equipment, and modern therapeutic drugs and devices.
