Pattern of the domestic violence-related craniofacial trauma during the lockdown in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

Abstract

Background: The pandemic of SARS2 has been changing the way we live dramatically. The number of cases has increased considerably in many countries around the globe. Some countries experienced a shortage of medical doctors, and facilities to take care of the patients. Therefore, lockdowns have been implemented in numerous countries to control the infection rate. Mongolia is one of those countries, and during the lockdown, almost everyone must stay home except the first responders. Under the COVID-19 lockdown, the number of domestic violence-related trauma has been raised. Aim: The aim of the study was to evaluate and compare the incidence of domestic violence-related craniofacial trauma before and during the lockdowns. Materials and Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 2055 cases of domestic violence-related trauma between 20192021 at the National Traumatology and Orthopedics Research Center of Mongolia, and there was 491 cases in 2019, 874 cases in 2020, and 690 cases in 2021 respectively. Results: Among them 1198 (58%) were located in the craniofacial region concomitant with other traumas. The majority of cases were located head, face, nose, followed by the forehead, eyes, teeth, ear, and cheek. Types of injuries were soft tissue, bony fractures followed by burns, stab, and concussion. The victims were mainly female (1963, 95.5%) with a mean age of 36.9±11 years old whereas aggressors were male (1907, 92.8%) with a mean age of 37.8±9.6 years old. During the lockdowns, the number of domestic-related trauma were increased compared with the pre-pandemic year. Conclusions: The women are the majority of victims and mainly suffered from craniofacial traumas including soft tissue injuries, bony fractures.