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Virginia Tech

Epidemiology and Biomechanical Analysis of Facial Fractures

Abstract

dc:description.abstract

The purpose of this dissertation is to examine the occurrence of facial fractures in automotive collisions and to determine the tolerance of the facial bones to blunt impact. The effects of restraint use, impact severity and impact direction on facial fractures were evaluated using the NASS-CDS database. The association between brain injury and facial fractures was also examined. The tolerance of the frontal bone, nasal bone, maxilla and mandible was determined using the flat surface of a cylindrical impactor. The influence of anthropometric measures and geometrical descriptors on the tolerance of the facial bones is also presented. The force-displacement response of each impacted region was also determined and response corridors were created. These corridors were used to evaluate the biofidelity of the FOCUS headform under the same impact conditions. Mathematical models were also created to predict the force and displacement resulting from facial impact. The data contained in this dissertation can be used to determine the risk of facial fracture as a function of impact force and evaluate the biofidelity of models simulating facial impact.

Degree

thesis:*
Name thesis:degree_name
Ph. D.
Level thesis:degree_level
doctoral
Discipline thesis:degree_discipline
Biomedical Engineering
Department dc:contributor.department
Biomedical Engineering
Grantor dc:publisher
Virginia Tech
Year dc:date.issued
2009

Author and committee

dc:creator, dc:contributor.*
Author dc:creator
  • Cormier, Joseph Michael
Chairs dc:contributor.committeechair
  • Duma, Stefan M.
  • Gabler, Hampton Clay
Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember
  • Madigan, Michael L.
  • Funk, James
  • Stitzel, Joel D.

Subjects

dc:subject × 8

Rights

dc:rights
Statement dc:rights
  • In Copyright

Identifiers

dc:identifier.*
Dc Identifier Other
etd-02222009-122741
OAI identifier oai:identifier
oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/26280

Chain of custody

source
Harvested from
Virginia Tech
Base URL
vtechworks.lib.vt.edu/oai/request
Last updated
2026-07-22
Source record
OAI-PMH GetRecord
citation

Cormier, Joseph Michael. Epidemiology and Biomechanical Analysis of Facial Fractures. doctoral thesis, Virginia Tech, 2009. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/26280