Air medical evacuations of soldiers due to oral-facial disease and injuries, Operations Enduring Freedom/Iraqi Freedom.

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 2003 and 2004. Information for this study came from the U.S. Air Force Transportation Regulating and Command & Control Evacuation System database for medical evacuations (MEDEVACS) for 2003 to 2004. The study found 327 oral-facial MEDEVACS out of Iraq (cumulative incidence: 11/10,000 soldiers per year) and 47 out of Afghanistan (cumulative incidence: 21/10,000 soldiers per year), for a total of 374 MEDEVACS. Forty-two percent (n = 158) of all oral-facial MEDEVACS were due to diseases of the oral cavity, salivary glands, and jaw. Another 36% (n = 136) of oral-facial MEDEVACS were for battle injuries, primarily fractures of the mandible, caused by acts of war. Twenty-one percent (n = 80) of oral-facial MEDEVACS were due to nonbattle injuries, primarily fractures of the mandible, mainly caused by motor vehicle accidents and fighting.