The circumstances and scope for prevention of maxillofacial injuries in cyclists

A prospective study of cyclists with maxillofacial injuries attending Accid ent and Emergency departments in South Wales was carried out over a 12 mont h period. 65% of the 104 accident victims were aged under 14 years, and 81% were male. Only 14% were wearing helmets. Injuries were mapped to 9 facial zones.:Nearly half the victims sustained injury to the central facial zone . There was an association between head injury (HI) and the location of imp act on the face (p<0.0001 Chi-square=41 df=8), the nature of the accident ( p<0.012 Chi-square=10.9 df=3), and type of injury in the impact zone (p<0.0 07 Chi-square=13.4 df=4). More patients with facial injuries but without fa cial bone fractures sustained HIs than those with fractures. The facial ske leton may protect the brain by absorbing impact. The high incidence of midf ace injuries could be reduced by incorporating a facebar in helmet design.