Patterns of maxillofacial injuries in restrained and unrestrained motor vehicle crash victims.

Safety belts reduce the frequency and severity of injuries sustained in motor vehicle crashes. Since the head and face are the most frequently injured anatomic regions in motor vehicle crash victims, the use of active restraints should lessen these injuries. This study was undertaken to examine the ability of safety belts to prevent and alter the pattern of maxillofacial injuries. During a 6-month period beginning February 1, 1987, 613 motor vehicle crash victims presented alive to the Trauma Center at the University of Tennessee Medical Center at Knoxville and were entered into this study. There were 254 restrained victims (R), 290 unrestrained (UR), and 69 who were excluded for lack of sufficient data regarding restraint usage. Unrestrained victims tended to be younger (mean age: UR = 27.9, R = 31.7; p less than 0.03), and more often male (UR = 65% vs. R = 51%; p less than 0.03). Irrespective of position within the vehicle, the mean number of facial lacerations per person was less in the restrained group (R = 0.31, UR = 0.76; p less than 0.03). This injury reduction was more pronounced in front seat occupants (R = 0.27, UR = 0.82; p less than 0.03). Furthermore, a smaller proportion of the lacerations in the restrained group were categorized as complex, i.e., involving more than skin and subcutaneous tissue (R = 5.0%, UR = 15.9%; p less than 0.03). The pattern of skeletal injuries was also significantly different.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)