The number of motorcyclists presenting maxillofacial fractures using helmets in this study was higher than motorcyclists using helmets that sustained facial contusions. As motorcycle crashes are high-energy trauma, it is possible that the impact of the cranium and face during the accident in patients without helmet promote more seriously injury, as immediate death or severe encephalic traumatism.
The incidence of associated body traumatism with maxillofacial fractures can vary widely. This study presented a large number of concomitant traumas in patients that were wearing helmets during the crash. This could be explained by the inexistence of a security device that protects the whole body of motorcyclists. Another factor that can influence this result would be the increase of riders that were using helmets.
Brasileiro and Passeri21 demonstrated a prevalence of
24.1% in upper limbs associated trauma, this data corroborates with this study. Ramli et al.22 affirm that the use of helmet during an accident reduces the incidence of skull injures while the motorcyclist becomes more susceptible to thoracic and orthopedic trauma. Alvi et al.23 disagree with this study, concluding that encephalic trauma is commonly associated with facial trauma ranging from 5.4 to 85%.
Gopalakrishna et al.13 observed that the incidence of mandibular fractures is significantly higher for motorcyclists wearing helmets than for those who do not. The data presented in this study and in the national studies by Maliska et al.24 and Scariot et al.25 agree with this statement. The prominence of the mandible and the dissipation of impact forces along the architectural framework of the middle third can explain this prevalence of fractures. The data collected in this work did not account the deaths, neither the patients