This study reports on two groups of patients who sustained maxillofacial fractures and were treated at the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Nijmegen, The Netherlands. It spans the periods 1 January 1960 31 December 1974 (1379 patients) and 1 January 1975 31 December 1987 (1324 patients). The changes in the pattern of maxillofacial fractures (e.g. localization and frequency, etiology, age and sex distribution, associated injuries) are discussed. The striking reduction of "road traffic accidents" and the increasing influence of "violence" and "sports" are remarkable.