2026 Combined Otolaryngology Spring Meetings

Poster AAFPRS030

Status: File under review
Section: AAFPRS
Track: Facial Reconstruction
Presenter: Trevor Pharr BS

Do Helmets Protect the Face? A Decade of Facial Fracture Outcomes by Vehicle Type

Author(s)
Jenna Billingsley, BS
Trevor Pharr, BS
William West, MD
Carson Bair, BS
Payton Kotlarz, MD
D’Arcy J. Wainwright, MD
Jared Troy, MD

Affiliation(s)
University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine (Billingsley, Pharr, West, Bair, Kotlarz) Department of Plastic Surgery, University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine (Wainwright, Troy)

Abstract:
Background: Although helmets reduce traumatic brain injury, their role in mitigating facial trauma remains uncertain. Riders continue to sustain complex facial fractures despite helmet use, raising questions about how helmet use and vehicle type affect injury severity. Learning Objective: To understand how helmet use influences facial fractures. Study Objective: To assess whether helmet use in cycling and open-vehicle accidents alters the severity, operative burden, and outcomes of facial fractures. Design Type: Retrospective cohort study. Method: A 10-year retrospective review (2012–2022) identified patients with facial fractures from open-vehicle and cycling accidents. Helmet use, injury mechanism, and outcomes -- including severe injury (ICU admission or TBI), surgery, operative time, and hospital stay -- were compared using chi-square and Mann-Whitney U tests. Results: Among 166 patients, 131 (78.9%) sustained motorized and 35 (21.1%) non-motorized injuries. Helmet use was documented in 51 (30.7%). In motorized accidents, helmet use did not significantly affect the likelihood of surgery (37.8% vs. 33.7% p=0.64), severe injury (64.4% vs. 75.6%, p=0.18), or length of stay. In the non-motorized group, helmet users exhibited significantly longer operative times (mean 361 vs. 110 minutes, p=0.048), without differences in surgery rate, severe injury, or length of stay. Overall, helmet use was more frequent among motorized riders (p=0.07) but did not translate into reduced facial fracture complexity. Conclusion: Helmet use did not reduce surgical or critical care burden among patients with facial fractures. Longer operative times among helmeted cyclists may reflect forceful impact or incomplete facial coverage, highlighting the need for improved helmet engineering and facial protection standards.

AAFPRS030 - Do Helmets Protect the Face? A Decade of Facial Fracture Outcomes by Vehicle Type
AAFPRS031 - Evaluation of Composite Auricular Graft Outcomes for Nasal Tip and/or Alar Reconstruction Secondary to Mohs
AAFPRS032 - Quantifying Color Match Patterns in Local Flaps for Nasal and Cheek Reconstruction
AAFPRS033 - A Rare Surgical Indication for Orbital Surgery Following Facial Trauma
AAFPRS034 - Safety Evaluation of Current-Technology Operating Room Headlights
AAFPRS035 - Intraoperative Fabrication of a Thermoplastic Pin-Borne Obturator for Acute Palatal Gunshot Wound
AAFPRS036 - Rate of Fistula and Functional Swallow Following Reconstruction of Circumferential Pharyngoesophageal Defec
AAFPRS037 - The Prevalence of Stapedial Synkinesis in Facial Synkinesis Patients
AAFPRS038 - 3-Dimensional Printed Model for Fibular Free Flap Bony Reconstruction
AAFPRS040 - Facial Palsy Patients with Positive Body Dysmorphia Screens Show Less PROM Improvement
AAFPRS041 - Emotional Output Changes After Temporary Paralysis of DAO in Patients with Synkinesis
AAFPRS042 - Knowing the Nose: AI Predictive Ability of Nasal Reconstruction After Mohs Micrographic Surgery
AAFPRS043 - Use of Tissue Engineered, 3D Printed Auricular and Wedge Implant for Microtia
AAFPRS044 - From Mind to Machine and Back: Lessons Learned From Training A Machine Learning Model

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