Pediatric Facial Trauma

Trauma is the leading cause of injury and death in the pediatric population. Head trauma is the most common form of pediatric trauma, though reassuringly, maxillofacial trauma is less common. Facial trauma ranges from soft tissue, bony, and neurovascular injuries that can be due to any trauma affecting the face, including the eyes, nose, mouth, bones, and skin. In infants and younger pediatric patients, in particular, the relatively larger skull is more likely to be the site of blunt force injury compared to the face. Injury patterns and management in adolescents tend to be similar to young adults. For this section, pediatrics refers to patients below 18 years of age. Most incidences of isolated pediatric facial trauma are limited to soft tissue, nasal, or dentoalveolar injury. While facial injuries or often isolated, it is essential always to consider concomitant head or neck trauma. Facial injuries alone are unlikely to be life-threatening, though facial fractures, bleeding, oropharyngeal injuries, and particularly burns may threaten the airway. This section will focus primarily on pediatric-related care considerations for the initial clinical presentation of soft-tissue facial traumatic injuries as the following topics, among many others, are well addressed in other StatPearls articles: Pediatric facial fractures (in preparation at the time of article submission). Pediatric abusive head trauma. Pediatric head trauma. Pediatric skull fractures. Traumatic brain injury. Pediatric spine trauma. Neck trauma. Tooth fracture. Avulsed tooth. Complex ear laceration. Auricular hematoma. Tongue laceration. Penetrating head trauma. Facial nerve trauma. Ocular burns. Blunt eye trauma. Globe rupture. Corneal abrasions. Eyelid laceration. Bites, animal.