Helmet use protects against maxillofacial injuries due to scooter and bicycle accidents: Study

Maxillofacial injury is a common injury that results from bicycle and scooter accidents. The US reports about 130,000 injuries and 1000 cycling-related fatalities annually. In the Netherlands, with 80,000 admissions to the EDs (emergency departments) in 2019, bicycle accidents make up more than half of all traffic-related ED visits.

H.S. Stassen, Erasmus Medical Center Rotterdam, Rotterdam, the Netherlands, and colleagues performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to examine the protective effect of helmets against maxillofacial injuries resulting from scooters (including e-scooter and e-bikes) and bicycle accidents.

The researchers performed a systematic literature search, following which 14 studies were selected for the systematic review. 11 were included in the meta-analysis. None of the included studies was focused on vehicles with motors (e-scooters and e-bikes); all focused only on non-motorized vehicles.

All the studies included were non-randomized, possibly leading to bias in the pooled results. Testing was done for the data from the included studies for heterogeneity using the binary random-effects model. The odds ratio was determined for maxillofacial injury occurrence in cyclists wearing helmets versus those not.

The researchers found that wearing a helmet significantly reduced the risk of maxillofacial injury after trauma by 32%. The pooled odds ratio for the studies included in the meta-analysis was 0.682.

"This systematic literature review found that wearing a helmet while riding a bicycle remarkably decreased the risk of sustaining a maxillofacial injury in the event of a bicycle accident, with an OR of 0.682 indicating a risk reduction of 32%," they explained.

"There is a change in traffic patterns globally, with a notable increase in the use of scooters and bicycles as a transportation means," the researchers wrote.

"Strict regulations regarding helmet use for those using e-bikes and bicycles might help reduce the incidence of traumatic injuries in general and maxillofacial injuries in particular," they concluded.

Reference:

Stassen, H., Atalik, T., Haagsma, J., Wolvius, E., Verdonschot, R., & Rozeboom, A. (2023). Effect of helmet use on maxillofacial injuries due to bicycle and scooter accidents: A systematic literature review and meta-analysis. International Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijom.2023.01.013