Does the Facial Construct Protect the Brain from the Impact of Traumatic Injuries? A Retrospective Study

Aim: To evaluate the prevalence and association of traumatic brain injuries in patients sustaining maxillofacial trauma, and correlate with the proposed role of the facial skeleton to protect the brain. Background: Maxillofacial skeletal architecture has been considered to sustain the impact during trauma and protect the brain from injury. Whether or not, this has an important clinical implication as it will help the surgeon to assess and rule out during the preliminary evaluation thereby reducing the risk of potential delayed complications. Materials: A retrospective analysis of trauma patients reported to the emergency department of a tertiary care center in Tamil Nadu during March 2015- March 2020 was done. A detailed review of the maxillofacial trauma cases was done. Details related to the demography, trauma, injury sustained, primary and secondary survey, records pertaining to the diagnosis of traumatic brain injuries, their pattern, severity, and spectrum were studied, recorded, and subjected to statistical analysis.