The Impact of Traffic Law Enforcement Regulations on the Incidence and Severity of Maxillofacial Injuries

Objectives: This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of the new traffic law enforcement regulations (TLERs) on the incidence and severity of maxillofacial injuries in Oman, as road traffic accidents (RTAs) are the main cause of facial injuries in Oman. Methods: A retrospective longitudinal analytic study was conducted at three tertiary care hospitals in Muscat, Oman. All patients with RTA-related maxillofacial injuries during a five-year period from January 2005 to December 2009 (before the new TLERs) and the five-year period from January 2015 to December 2019 (after the new TLERs) were included in the study. Results: A total of 1,127 patients were included in the study. Of these, 646 (57.3%) patients sustained RTA-related maxillofacial injuries before the implementation of the new TLERs compared to 481 (42.7%) after the introduction of TLERs. No significant gender-based difference was found between the two study periods. The incidence of injury before the implementation of the new TLERs was 22.7 per 100,000 population, which then reduced significantly to 11 per 100,000 after the TLERs were implemented. Overall, the mean facial injury severity score reduced significantly, from 3.2 to 2.3, after the implementation of the new TLERs. Conclusions: The findings of this study indicate that the newly introduced TLERs have resulted in a reduction in the incidence and severity of RTA-related maxillofacial injuries. Continuous improvement and reinforcement of TLERs will further help reduce the burden of these injuries to society in general and health services in particular.