Seating Position, Seat Belt Wearing, and the Consequences in Facial Fractures in Car Occupants

Abstract

. Seating position, seat belt wearing, and the consequences in facial fractures in car occupants. Clinics. 2007;62(3):289-94. INTRODUCTION:Trauma caused by traffic accidents is among the main etiologies involved in the occurrence of facial fractures throughout the world. However, the trauma mechanisms involved are different according to the location where the study was performed, due to different conditions of development, legislation, and culture. A retrospective study was done between February 2001 and July 2006, with the purpose of determining the epidemiology and the mechanisms involved in the occurrence of facial fractures among car occupants in the metropolitan area of São Paulo. METHODS: Data were collected from 297 patients admitted with facial fractures to the emergency room of the Hospital das Clínicas, São Paulo University Medical School. Within this period, 151 individuals had been involved in traffic accidents, among which 56 (37.08%) were inside passenger cars. These were grouped based on the seating position that they were occupying at the time of the accident and the wearing of seat belts. Data concerning the number and location of fracture lines were obtained from the different groups, and a fracture/patient index (F/P I) was calculated to compare and make reference to the impact energy among these groups, for subsequent analysis and discussion. RESULTS: 323 fracture lines occurred among 56 patients who were car occupants. By applying the F/P I, we obtained higher values in the group of rear-seat passengers who were not wearing seat belts (7.23 fractures per patient), followed by the group of drivers not wearing seat belts (6.33 fractures per patient), the group of front-seat passengers not wearing seat belts (5.58 fractures per patient), the group of drivers wearing seat belts (5.54 fractures per patient) and, finally, the group of front-seat passengers wearing seat belts (4.00 fractures per patient). None of the rear-seat passengers was wearing seat belts. CONCLUSION: The data collected indicate that the driver position shows a high incidence of facial fractures, not being effectively protected by the seat belt, although the wearing of seat belts seems to have a protective role against the occurrence of facial fractures in front-seat passengers. It was not possible to evaluate the wearing of seat belts among rear-seat passengers, even though the high incidence of fractures in this group showed its high susceptibility to the occurrence of facial fractures, which highlights the need of taking protective measures against this situation.

Facial trauma in the largest city in latin america, são paulo, 15 years after the enactment of the compulsory seat belt law

“…Results of a retrospective study of 323 individuals with facial fractures due to motorvehicle accidents at the São Paulo Clinics Hospital between February 2001 and July 2006 showed that the average age of the patients was 30.9 years and the proportion of men to women was 3.3 to 1 (see Table 1). 21 The findings are consistent with the results of a Minas Gerais study, which found that 23% of facial injuries were due to accidents involving bicycles and motorcycles, whereas 21% were due to interpersonal violence. In addition, trauma to the face from motorvehicle accidents was found to be more common among men (80%) than women (20%) 13.…”

“…Despite all of the reported benefits, Pine et al42 revealed in 2009 that one‐quarter individuals in a university population were not using their seat belt. This is an alarming figure, considering that the age group most affected by deaths and facial injuries related to the use of seat belts is 20‐ to 40‐year‐olds 21,28. This has a significant impact on families and face traumas put these patients away from social interaction.…”

Study of the Pattern of Maxillofacial Fractures Seen at a Tertiary Care Hospital in North India

“…People using two wheelers for travelling are more prone to RTA than four wheeler users as two wheelers are relatively less stable and provide lesser protection to the riders, The most commonly involved mechanism of injury in current study was skid, followed by rear impact crashes. Protective effect of restraints offer a significant reduction in facial fractures in road traffic accidents [34,35]. Though legislation has made compulsory use of seatbelts and helmets in India, inspite of this the use of safety devices during driving is lacking, which is explained clearly by our figures in this study i.e.…”

Luxação traumática do bulbo ocular causada por acidente automobilístico

“…Em um estudo recente, publicado por Fonseca et al (11) Mesmo após a obrigatoriedade do uso de cinto de segurança, estabelecido no código de trânsito brasileiro de 1997, acidentes automobilísticos continuam sendo as principais causas de fraturas faciais nos perímetros urbanos das metrópoles de nosso país (3) . Ressalta-se aqui a importância de uma educação no trânsito no sentido de se evitar dirigir sob efeito de bebidas alcoólicas e usar sempre o cinto de segurança, pois no caso em questão, se estas duas medidas tivessem sido seguidas, o paciente não teria perdido um olho.…”