Road traffic injuries are the consequences of road crashes due to the advances in technology of
manufacturing motor vehicles for transportation purposes. Motorcycle related injuries are a
common feature in developing countries due to the reliance on motorcycle for transporting
pillion passengers and good due to poor road networks, economic consideration and absence of
effective public transportation system.
Maxillofacial injuries are a common feature of motorcycle crashes amongst passengers and
riders due to the prominence of facial bones and the predisposition of the face to the injuries.
Maxillofacial injuries have aesthetic, functional and psychological components attached to it.
Objective
This study was carried out to describe the pattern and characteristics of maxillofacial and
concomittant injuries, explore potential factors related to the type, severity and scale (FISS) of
maxillofacial injuries and describe the mechanism of the crashes amongst commercial
motorcyclists and passengers.
Methods
The medical records of patients treated for motorcycle related maxillofacial injuries on in- and
out- basis were obtained retrospectively from 2005-2008 from a tertiary hospital in a semi
urban area in Nigeria. Information on sex, gender, educational status, mechanism of crash, time
and season of occurrence of crashes and type of injuries were obtained from the records. The
facial injury severity score (FISS) was used for scoring the injuries, while treatment needs were
used to classify injuries into mild, moderate and severe
Results
A total of 128 patients’ records were obtained. The predominant age group was 21-30
year. 55.5% of the patients were riders with no female. Riders sustained a greater
proportion of both maxillofacial and concomittant injuries (55.88, 55.32%) respectively
compared to passengers. A symmetrical distribution of maxillofacial injuries was
observed in the upper, middle and lower thirds of the face.
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14% 0f riders admitted consumption of alcohol. None of the riders or passengers wore
helmets. Skidded off/lost control was the predominant crash mechanism (47.7%) and
having a statistical association (p-value=0.02) with treatment needs of maxillofacial
injuries
Conclusion
This study has shown that motorcycle related maxillofacial and concomittant injuries are higher
amongst the riders than the passengers especially in the 21-30 years age group. Data from the
study could not identify any predictive factor for the occurrence of both maxillofacial and
concomitant injuries in the study population. A well designed prospective study at the
population level is advocated to evaluate potential risk factors. In addition qualitative study is
also suggested to evaluate riders’ knowledge, attitude and practice of helmet use