Cerulli et al. [1] examined all cases of sports-related maxillofacial trauma that required operative intervention over a 5-year period and found that the sport involved was football in 73.9% of cases.

A 7-year prospective cohort study [2] of 23 Union of European Football Associations teams found that lower extremity injuries were the most frequent (87%), with head injuries making up only 2% of the total.

On the other hand, a 6-year prospective cohort study of 20 Fédération Internationale de Football Association tournaments [3] reveals a head/neck injury rate significantly greater than that found in the Union of European Football Associations study. However, only 3% of these injuries were fractures, with the vast majority being contusions or lacerations (78%).

Kolodziej et al. [4] retrospectively reviewed 451 players from the German Football Association who had suffered injuries during football games. The head was affected in 23.9% of cases, and the areas most frequently involved were the facial and occipital regions.

Correa et al. [5] analyzed 113 first division matches of the Brazilian Football League in 2009, finding that in 84.1% of games, at least 1 craniofacial region-related incident happened, with a mean of 2.0 per match.

Giannotti et al. [6] analyzed hospital admissions due to football trauma from the Canadian Hospitals Injury Reporting and Prevention Program, finding that male gender, playing unorganized football, football outside school premises, playing during the summer/fall, and having multiple body injuries, increased the likelihood of hospital admission.

Due to exposure and the lack of protection for the face, the occasional maxillofacial trauma sustained during football games often entails serious facial injuries requiring hospital admissions and invasive procedures.

In comparison with other sports (rugby, American football, etc.) where physical contact occurs more frequently and the higher incidence of traumatic events justifies the use of protective measures, football is not a particularly violent sport. In fact, the low incidence of fractures, severity of the lesions, and discomfort caused by possible protective masks make their routinely use unjustified in football players.