More on Dog-Bite Injuries

Abstract

To the Editor.—

With great interest we have read the article by Avner and Baker¹ about dog bites in urban children. We would like to add some results of our own investigations.

In childhood, the face is the most frequent site of dog-bite injuries. Gonnering² described a "central target region," consisting of nose, mouth, and periorbital region, which is afflicted in up to 78% of all children suffering dog bites. In 1990, we studied the clinical course and follow-up of 16 children aged 18 months to 14 years who were treated surgically at our hospital because of facial dog-bite injuries.³