TUESDAY, Jan. 21, 2003 (HealthDayNews) -- Seatbelts and airbags reduce the risk of facial fractures in serious motor vehicle crashes.
Researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine found that while restraining devices such as seatbelts and airbags do reduce the risk of facial fractures, they don't change the pattern of facial fractures, except for fractures to the cheek bones and upper jaw. The report appears in this week's issue of the Archives of Facial Plastic Surgery.
The study looked at 3,731 people involved in motor vehicle accidents treated by the trauma surgery team at the University of Alabama at Birmingham Hospital from 1996 to 2000.
Of the 2,295 who did not use seatbelts or airbags, 380 (17 percent) suffered facial fractures. Of the 1,147 people wearing seatbelts, 97 (8 percent) suffered facial fractures. Of the 84 people who had airbags deploy when they crashed, 9 (11 percent) sustained facial fractures.
Two hundred five people were wearing seatbelts and had airbags deploy at the time of the crash. In this group, 11 (5 percent) suffered facial fractures.
More information
The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has information about injury prevention.
