Spatial distribution of maxillofacial injuries caused by urban violence: An ecological analysis to identify high-risk areas.

Objectives: To investigate the spatial and spatial-temporal distribution of oral and maxillofacial injuries caused by urban violence, as well as to identify underlying disparities at regional level through a geostatistical approach.

Methods: This was a historical ecological cohort study of trauma cases caused by urban violence using aggregate data from victims assisted in a Brazilian medical-forensic service between January 2012 and December 2015. The longitudinal patterns of change observed in each geographic area (neighbourhoods) were evaluated using the finite mixture model (FMM).