Air medical evacuations of soldiers for oral-facial disease and injuries, 2005, operations enduring freedom/iraqi freedom

Abstract

This retrospective study was conducted to assess the nature and causes of serious oral-facial illnesses and injuries among U.S. Army personnel deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan in 2005. Information for this study came from the U.S. Air Force Transportation Regulating and Command and Control Evacuation System (TRAC2HS) database for medical evacuations (MEDEVACS) for 2005. The study found 171 oral-facial MEDEVACS out of Iraq (cumulative incidence: 13.3/10,000 soldiers per year) and 35 out of Afghanistan (cumulative incidence: 21.6/10,000 soldiers per year), a total of 206 MEDEVACS. Fifty-three percent (n = 109) of oral-facial MEDEVACS were for battle injuries caused by acts of war. Thirty-one percent of all oral-facial MEDEVACS (n = 64) were for diseases of the oral cavity, salivary glands, and jaw. Sixteen percent (n = 33) of oral-facial MEDEVACS were for nonbattle injuries, primarily fractures of the face bones, for the most part because of motor vehicle accidents.