The Association of Helmet Use with the Occurrence of Maxillofacial Injuries Following Bicycle or Scooter Accidents: A Retrospective Cohort Study

Abstract

Study Design: Retrospective Cohort Study. Objective: Yearly, bicycle and scooter accidents in the Netherlands amount to 90 thousand emergency department visits. Maxillofacial injuries are common after cycling or scooter accidents. To prevent these injuries, helmet use might be beneficial. However, the effect of helmet use on maxillofacial injuries remains unclear. The aim of this retrospective study is to assess the effect of helmet use on maxillofacial injuries in patients who had a bicycle or scooter accident. Methods: We collected data from the emergency department of the Erasmus Medical Center in the period from October 2017 to October 2019. Patients that were involved in a bicycle or scooter accident and subsequently received a CT scan of the head were included. We compared the incidence of maxillofacial injuries in helmeted cyclists and scooter users to non-helmeted users. Descriptive and analytic statistics were computed. Level of statistical significance was set at p < 0.05. Results: Helmet use among scooter users was associated with a significant reduction in maxillofacial fractures (p < 0.001) and soft tissue injuries (p < 0.001). Helmet use among cyclists was not associated with a reduction in maxillofacial fractures (p = 0.17) or soft tissue injuries (p = 0.30). Helmet use was not associated with a reduction in soft tissue injuries of the lower face in both cyclists (p = 0.47) and scooter users (p = 0.24) Conclusions: Helmet use should be considered among cyclists and scooter users to prevent maxillofacial injuries. Especially unhelmeted scooter users might benefit from helmet use as this is associated with a lower incidence of maxillofacial injuries.

Work-related road traffic crashes: emergence of new modes of personal journey. Analysis based on data from a register of road traffic crashes

“…Helmet use for electric scooter users significantly reduces the risk of serious head and facial injuries [49], maxillofacial fractures, and soft tissue injuries [50]. Similar to the recommendations for helmet use for bicycle users 10 years ago, the scientific literature confirms and recommends helmet use for electric scooter users and, in a larger set, for users of PMDs [51,52]. The non-use of helmets by electric scooter users and the high prevalence of head injuries found in numerous studies [44,53] suggest that these types of injuries may be preventable.…”

“…Helmet use for electric scooter users significantly reduces the risk of serious head and facial injuries [52], maxillofacial fractures, and soft tissue injuries [53]. Similar to the recommendations for helmet use for bicycle users 10 years ago, the scientific literature confirms and recommends helmet use for electric scooter users and, in a larger set, for users of PMDs (DiMaggio et al, 2019; Lin et al, 2020).…”