8 Jan 2010

Darwin: 'broken jaw' capital of the world

10:07 pm on 8 January 2010

A surgeon in Australia's Northern Territory says Darwin has the highest rate of broken jaws in the world - most of them caused by alcohol-related violence.

Dr Mahiban Thomas says the Royal Darwin Hospital sees about 350 cases of broken jaws and noses every year. That works out at about 17 for every 10,000 people in Darwin's population, which is well above anywhere else in the world.

Dr Thomas says more than 90% of the fractures are caused by drunken assaults, mostly outside pubs and nightclubs on Thursday and Friday nights