Abstract
BackgroundHuman bites in the maxillofacial region compromise function and aesthetics, resulting in social and psychological effects. There is paucity of information regarding human bite injuries in Tanzania. The aim of the study was to assess the occurrence, treatment modalities and prognosis of human bite injuries in the oro-facial region at the Muhimbili National Hospital Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.MethodsIn a prospective study the details of patients with human bite injuries in the oro-facial region who attended at the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery of the Muhimbili National Hospital between January 2001 and December 2005 were recorded. Data included information on age, sex, site, duration of the injury at the time of reporting to hospital, reasons, details of treatment offered and outcome after treatment.ResultsA total of 33 patients, 13 males and 20 females aged between 12 and 49 years with human bite injuries in the oro-facial region were treated. Thirty patients presented with clean uninfected wounds while 3 had infected wounds. The most (45.5%) frequently affected site was the lower lip. Treatment offered included thorough surgical cleansing with adequate surgical debridement and primary suturing. Tetanus prophylaxis and a course of broad-spectrum antibiotics were given to all the patients. In 90% of the 30 patients who were treated by suturing, the healing was uneventful with only 10% experiencing wound infection or necrosis. Three patients who presented with wounds that had signs of infection were treated by surgical cleansing with debridement, antibiotics and daily dressing followed by delayed primary suturing.ConclusionMost of the human bite injuries in the oro-facial region were due to social conflicts. Although generally considered to be dirty or contaminated they could be successfully treated by surgical cleansing and primary suture with a favourable outcome. Management of such injuries often need multidisciplinary approach.
Highlights
Human bites in the maxillofacial region compromise function and aesthetics, resulting in social and psychological effects
A total of 33 patients aged between 12 and 49 years presented with human bite injuries in the facial region (Table 1)
Ethical issues Ethical clearance was granted by the Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences (MUHAS) research and pub
Summary
Human bites in the maxillofacial region compromise function and aesthetics, resulting in social and psychological effects. The size and severity of the injuries vary, ranging from small lacerations, punctures or cuts to total avulsion and loss of relatively big chunks of tissue [2,3,4]. Because of their location, human bites in the maxillofacial region compromise function and aesthetics, as a consequence social and psychological effects are most likely. Studies conducted in Ghana, Zimbabwe and Nigeria have shown that in most incidences the assailant is a person known to the victim [2,7,8,9]. In these studies there existed differing findings regarding demographic data of the victims and the basic reasons behind the attacks
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