Frederico Marcio Varela Ayres de Melo Junior
Introduction: The bites that are of most interest to the dental surgeon are caused by domestic animals, especially dogs and cats. These injuries are of great importance, as they have a high rate of contamination and can cause, in addition to serious local infections, some systemic diseases caused by bacteria, viruses, protozoa and parasites. Purpose: To clarify and explain possible differences regarding the treatment of these injuries. Case report: Male patient, 3 years old, victim of physical aggression by a dog of his own family, was taken to the emergency room of the reference Hospital in Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil, under regular general condition, walking, conscious, oriented, afebrile and eupneic. On clinical examination, an extensive scalp wound was found, and a laceration as well as a contusion in the right pinna area with profuse hemorrhage. Under general anaesthesia, the treatment was based on strict rinse with 0.9% saline and polyvinylpyrrolidone, the team performed the removal of foreign bodies, debridement of devitalized tissues and hemostasia of the blood vessels. Family members were instructed to observe the offending animal for 10 days. Tetanus prophylaxis was not indicated because the child was vaccinated. There were no postoperative complications and the wound healing achieved good results. Conclusion & significance: Bite wounds are treated a little differently than the others, since they have saliva rich in microbiota, being highly susceptible to infection. As for the need for prophylaxis of human rabies, the patient should be referred to a specialized service, and the offending animal should be kept isolated from other individuals and animals.