17 January 2023

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Pediatric dog bites to the face during COVID 19 pandemic

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Purpose

Pediatric dog bite injuries are one of the most common non-fatal injuries in the U.S. During the COVID-19 pandemic, children stayed at home more than in the past. The effect of the pandemic on severity of dog bites to the face in children has not been examined. The objective of this study was to determine the frequency and severity of dog bite injuries to the face in children during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, when compared to the previous year.

Materials and methods

A retrospective cohort study was conducted for children with dog bites injuries to the head and neck who presented to Emergency Department at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta from March 2019 to March 2021. Results were published Dec. 28, 2022, in the Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery. The predictor variable was the time of injury, and this was divided into pre-lockdown and lockdown. The outcome variable was severity of dog bite defined as one or more of the following: patient required sedation or general anesthesia for repair, three or more regions in the head and neck were involved, or surgical consultation took place. The investigators used a two-sample t-test, multivariable linear regression models and modified ANOVA/MANOVA tests to analyze the data.

Results

According to the study, more than 700 children (370 males) with an average age of six years old fit the inclusion criteria. There was a total of 381 cases in pre-lockdown and 331 in the post-lockdown period.

There were more cases on average per month pre-lockdown than post-lockdown. There were 183 pre-lockdown surgical consults compared to 75 post-lockdown. The research team also noted that there were 52 pre-lockdown cases that had three or more sites in head and neck compared to 28 during the post-lockdown period.

Conclusion

During the COVID-19 pandemic, there may have been a decrease in the severity of the dog bite injuries. This trend may demonstrate a consequence that is not a direct result of the virus.

For more information: "Pediatric Dog Bites to the Face May Have Been Less Severe During COVID 19 Pandemic: A retrospective cohort study."