Wearing helmet results in fewer and less severe facial fractures in motorcyclists compared to those who do not use a helmet, states a new study.
According to the study, ‘Do Helmet Use and Type Influence Facial Trauma Occurrence and Severity in Motorcyclists? A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis,’ published by the Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery (JOMS) – the official journal of the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons (AAOMS) – there is no difference in the occurrence and severity of facial fractures in motorcyclists who wore full-face or open-face helmets.
The researchers include Darlan Kelton Ferreira Cavalcante, Sirley Raiane Mamede Veloso, Márcia de Almeida Durão, Vanessa de Carvalho Melo, Gabriela Queiroz de Melo Monteiro, and Gabriela Granja Porto, all from the University of Pernambuco in Brazil. They reviewed data from 26 selected studies about nearly 69,000 motorcyclists hospitalised after they were in traffic crashes. The patients averaged 30.7 in age, and more than 86% were men.
The helmeted motorcyclists experienced 2,279 facial fractures than 3,541 facial fractures in motorcyclists who did not wear a helmet. For those who wore a helmet, all injury scales the researchers reviewed showed a lower injury severity score, the study states.
JOMS stated that the researchers also examined injuries to each third of the face in a meta-analysis, discovering motorcyclists who did not wear a helmet had significantly more facial fractures. However, no significant difference was found for lower-face fractures between helmeted motorcyclists and those without helmets.
The researchers wrote that they “cannot state that the use of a helmet was effective in reducing the occurrence of midface and lower-face fractures.”
Researchers looked at two types of helmets for the study: full-face (also known as closed) and open-face (also known as open). Full-face helmets cover the head and face and feature chin protection other helmets lack. Open-face helmets shield the top, back and sides of the head, but the face is uncovered.
According to the researchers, the current literature remains unclear whether the type of helmet, open or full-face, interferes with the occurrence and severity of facial injuries. However, few studies performed this comparison, and it is therefore not possible to conclude that open-face helmets exert a less protective effect and consequently cause more severe facial fractures than full-face helmets.
Yet, motorcyclists who wore a full-face helmet had a lower Facial Injury Severity Scale score, indicating less severe facial injury. In addition, the study results found no significant difference in the number of fractures between motorcyclists who consumed alcohol before the crash and those who did not.
The researchers said that the high rates of injuries caused by motorcycle accidents could be explained by the instability inherent to the vehicle and the low level of protection offered compared to cars. In addition, the driver’s failure to correctly use the helmet and possible alcohol consumption, reducing reflexes and concentration, influence the individual’s piloting ability. Among the possible injuries, those involving the region of the head and face tend to be highly complex. The anatomical peculiarities of the involved structures can result in physical, esthetic, functional and mental damage.
Courtesy: JOMS. NB: Photo is representational.