Article Sidebar
Published:
Jul 22, 2020DOI:
10.4314/ahs.v20i2.32Keywords:
Article Details
While African Health Sciences has been freely accessible online there have been questions on whether it is Open Access or not. We wish to clearly state that indeed African Health Sciences is Open Access. There are key issues regarding Open Access needing clarification for avoidance of doubt:
- 1. Henceforth, papers in African Health Sciences will be published under the CC BY (Creative Commons Attribution License) 4.0 International. See details on https://creativecomons.org/)
- 2. The copyright owners or the authors grant the 3rd party (perpetually and in advance) the right to disseminate, reproduce, or use the research papers in part or in full, format/medium as long as:
- No substantive errors are introduced in the process
- Attribution of authorship and correct citation details are given
- The referencing details are not changed.
Should the papers be reproduced in part, this must be clearly stated.
- 3. The papers will be freely and universally accessible online in an easily readable format such as XML in at least one widely recognized open access repository such as PUBMED CENTRAL.
B. ABRIDGED LICENCE AGREEMENT BETWEEN AUTHORS AND African Health Sciences
I submitted my manuscript to African Health Sciences and would like to affirm that:
1.0 I am authorized by my co-authors to enter into these arrangements.
2.0 I guarantee, on behalf of self and co-authors:
- That the paper is original, and has not been published in any other peer-reviewed journal; nor is it under consideration by other journal (s). It does not infringe existing copyright or any other person’s rights
- That we are/I am the sole author(s) of the paper and with authority to enter into this agreement. My granting rights to African Health Sciences is not in breach of any other obligation
- That the paper contains nothing unlawful, or libelous. Nor anything that would constitute a breach of contract, confidence or commitment given to secrecy, if published
- That I/we have taken care to ensure the integrity of the article.
3.0 I and all co-authors, agree that the paper, if accepted for publication, shall be licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution License 4.0. (see https://creativecommons.org/)
Main Article Content
Pattern of mandibular fractures and helmet use among motorcycle crash victims in Tanzania
Abstract
Background: The maxillofacial structures are commonly affected in motorcycle crashes, with the mandible being one of the most frequently fractured bones. Helmets have been shown to have a protective effect in preventing maxillofacial inju- ries, however, its effect on the occurrence of mandibular fractures is not very well established.
Objectives: To evaluate the pattern of mandibular fractures among motorcycle crash victims in Tanzania, and determine the role of helmets in occurrence of mandibular fractures among the motorcyclists.
Methodology: This was a 6-months prospective, cross-sectional study that recruited motorcycle crash victims who reported with mandibular fractures following motorcycle crash at Muhimbili National Hospital. A specially designed questionnaire was used for data collection. For purpose of analysis, the Statistical Package for Social Sciences software version 20 was used.
Results: The study included a total of 132 participants of whom majority were male (120, 90.9%). The peak age incidence was 21-40 years in 76.5% of the victims. More than half (89, 67.4%) of the victims were riders during the crash. Helmet use was reported in 42.3% of the victims, and majority (67.3%) were usinghalf-face helmets. The symphysis region was the fre- quently fractured anatomical location (50, 37.9%). More than half of the victims had multiple site involvement, with higher odds observed in individuals wearing half-face helmets.
Conclusion: Young males were affected ten times more than females. Most of the victims were riders during the crash. The symphysis region was the frequently fractured anatomical site. There was no difference in occurrence of mandibular frac- tures between those who wore and those who did not wear helmets during the crashes. However, the severity of mandibular fractures was dependent on the type of helmet used.
Keywords: Mandibular fracture; motorcycle crash; helmet use; Tanzania.
