Oral and maxillofacial injuries associated with e-scooter use at Broomfield Hospital: a cohort study of 24 months of data since e-scooter legalisation in the UK

Abstract Rental electronic-scooters (e-scooters) were legalised in July 2020 in the UK for use on public roads. This has led to higher numbers of emergency department (ED) attendances for head and neck injuries managed by the oral and maxillofacial surgical (OMFS) department.The aim of this research is to assess the increase in e-scooter injuries requiring OMFS input, and analyse factors and management associated.Data was collected retrospectively over an 18-month period (July 2020 to December 2021) and prospectively for a 6-month period (January 2022 to June 2022). A total of 212 e-scooter related ED presentations were recorded with 34 patients requiring input from the OMFS department.Basic descriptive analysis was performed for the 34 patients referred to OMFS. Numerical and categorical factors used independent T-tests and one-way ANOVA tests respectively to determine statistical significance at the 5% confidence level (p<0.05).The mean age was 32.8 years (SD =15.9) in a predominately male cohort (79.4%). Alcohol intoxication was observed in 55.8% of accidents. Injuries were most common on Saturdays (41.2%). Soft tissue injuries were present in 64.7% of patients, bony injuries 38.2% of patients and dental injuries 11.8% of patients. Imaging was required for 76.5% of patients. 44% of patients required surgical treatment, 5.9% major surgery and 38.2% minor surgery. This research supports the literature suggesting significant growth in e-scooter related injuries and their associated burden of disease managed by the OMFS department. We have found that alcohol increases the risk of complex e-scooter injury, as measured by dual speciality involvement. We recommend for public health bodies to direct spending on educating patients on the dangers of alcohol and e-scooter use. We suggest a multicentre study to build on the literature and determine other factors associated with e-scooter injury.