Basic and patient-oriented research
Facial Trauma: How Dangerous Are Skiing and Snowboarding?

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Purpose

The aim of this study was to investigate maxillofacial injuries sustained in both skiing and snowboarding accidents and correlate injury mechanisms and patterns evaluating a large population.

Materials and Methods

Between 1991 and 2003, all patients with maxillofacial injuries due to skiing and snowboarding accidents (1,393 cases) were reviewed and statistically analyzed according to age, gender, type of injury, cause of accident, location of trauma, and associated injuries.

Results

Skiing accidents resulted in a total of 1,250 injuries, and snowboarding resulted in 143. In this study 686 skiers presented with 1,452 facial bone fractures and 80 snowboarders sustained 160 fractures of the face. Skiers had dentoalveolar trauma in 810 cases and 1,295 soft tissue injuries, whereas snowboarders had 88 dental injuries and 187 soft tissue lesions. Mechanisms of injury included 542 cases due to skiing and 85 falls due to snowboarding (a 1.79-fold higher risk for snowboarders). The gender distribution showed a male-female ratio of 3:1 in skiers and 5.5:1 in snowboarders. In both groups male patients were more prone to have a facial bone fracture than female patients. Snowboarders aged between 10 and 29 years had a 2.14-fold higher risk of sustaining a maxillofacial injury than skiers.

Conclusions

In both groups facial bone fractures occurred more often in male patients, and they were more likely to result from falls and collisions with other persons. Young snowboarders had a higher risk of maxillofacial injuries (especially soft tissue lesions) than skiers, whereas for children and old persons, skiing posed a much higher risk. Wearing a helmet while skiing and snowboarding should be mandatory to prevent serious trauma to the head.

Section snippets

Study Design/Sample

To address the research purpose, we designed and implemented a retrospective cohort study. The study population was composed of all patients presenting to our institution between January 1991 and December 2003 for evaluation and management of trauma. The inclusion criterion for this study was that the accidents were due to skiing or snowboarding.

Study Variables

Participants were characterized by the type of winter sport performed (skiing vs snowboarding), gender, age, and type of injury (soft tissue injury;

Results

Between 1991 and 2003, of 12,572 trauma patients treated at the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, University Hospital Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria, 3,911 (31.1%) were injured during sport activities. Of these patients, 1,250 (32.0% of all sport-related injuries) were skiers and 143 (3.7%) were snowboarders. This equals 96 patients with skiing-related injuries per year and 11 patients with snowboarding-related injuries per year.

Discussion

Alpine skiing and snowboarding are very popular winter sport activities that are enjoyed by several million persons worldwide. However, the injury risk is high,11 and head injuries are common in alpine skiers and snowboarders.12, 13, 14

The purpose of our project was to implement a retrospective cohort study to estimate the frequency and risk factors of oral and maxillofacial trauma caused by snowboarding and skiing accidents. In addition, we wanted to evaluate the different injury mechanisms

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