Offering Better Care: Statistics on Dog Bites

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Statistics on dog bites and the need for better education.

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Jump to: Dog Bites 2015-2020 (US)

Dog Bites 2015-2020 (US)

External link: 
Plana NM, Kalmar CL, Cheung L, Swanson JW, Taylor JA. Pediatric Dog Bite Injuries: A 5-Year Nationwide Study and Implications of the COVID-19 Pandemic. J Craniofac Surg. 2022;33(5):1436-1440. https://doi.org/10.1097/SCS.0000000000008670

I. Overall Incidence and Trends (2015-2020)

  • Annual Increase: The annual incidence of presentation significantly increased by approximately 82 new cases per year.
  • Overall Proportion of ED Visits: During the 5-year study period, dog bite injuries accounted for 0.33% of all emergency department (ED) visits at the included hospitals.
  • Impact of COVID-19 Shelter-in-Place (April 2020):
    • A slight decrease in the total number of pediatric dog bites was observed (total 883) compared to the median of 1029 presentations in April of preceding years.
    • In May to September, 2020, the rate of injury nearly tripled as a proportion of ED visits, reaching 0.8% of presenting patients in the ED.
  • Seasonal Patterns:
    • The incidence of presentation followed a cyclical pattern strongly correlated with seasonal change.
    • The highest frequency of injury occurred in the summer months, peaking in July (median 1031 patients).
    • The incidence declined in the winter, reaching its lowest point in February (median 704 patients).
    • Regional Variation in Seasonality: Less seasonal variance was observed in the South. A greater percentage of dog bites in the winter months were treated in the South compared to the spring/summer, considering regional population density.

II. Patient Demographics

  • Age:
    • The median patient age was 6.8 years..
    • The incidence of injury consistently declined with patient age.
    • Infants 0 to 3 years old comprised 28% of the cohort.
  • Sex: There was a slight male dominance (55%).
  • Race/Ethnicity:
    • The most frequent identification was within the White/Non-Hispanic race.
    • During the Pandemic (March to September 2020): White/Non-Hispanic patients were more susceptible to injury (49%) compared to other races.
  • Household Income:
    • The median household income of the children’s families was $43,386.
    • A small but statistically significant increase in median household income was observed during the pandemic, reaching $42,621 from March to September 2020).
  • Insurance:
    • The majority of visits were covered by governmental insurance (51%).
    • A smaller portion was paid for by private insurance (38%), self-pay (6%), or other payors (4%).
  • Urban vs. Rural: The overwhelming majority of dog bites took place in urban areas (93%).
  • Geographic Region:
    • Injuries occurred predominantly in the South (41%), followed by the Midwest (26%), the West (24%), and least commonly the Northeast (9%) areas of the US.
    • Per-Capita Incidence: The Northeast had the lowest per-capita incidence with 4 per 10,000 children, whereas the Midwest, West, and South had 9, 8, and 8 per 10,000, respectively.

III. Injury Characteristics

  • Anatomic Location:
    • The most common anatomic location overall was the head/face (62.1%, n = 34,835).
    • This was followed by the upper extremity (25.1%, n = 14,086).
    • Almost half of patients presented with bites to multiple anatomic regions (45%, n = 25,400), with the head and neck still being most common in these cases.
  • Age-Related Location of Injury:
    • The majority of toddlers (age < 3 years) had facial injuries (82.5%, n = 9584).
    • The majority of teenagers (age 13 years +) had upper extremity injuries (40.9%, n = 2958).
    • The relative proportion of dog bites to the face gradually decreased with age.
    • The relative proportions of dog bites to the upper extremities and lower extremities gradually increased with age.
  • Fractures: Fractures were diagnosed in 1744 patients (2.9%), with:
    • 51% in the head and neck region.
    • 40% in the upper extremity.
    • 5% in the lower extremity.
    • 3% in the trunk.
  • Operative Intervention:
    • Overall, 8.0% (n = 4515) of patients required operative intervention.
    • Injuries isolated to the head were significantly more likely to require operative intervention (Odds Ratio (OR) = 2.6)
    • Isolated injuries to the torso, upper extremity, and lower extremity were significantly less likely to require operative intervention.
    • Patients with dog bites to multiple anatomic regions were more likely to require operative intervention.

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