Bill Klaproth (host): This is OMS Voices, an AAOMS podcast. I'm Bill Klaproth. And with me is Dr. Jas Dillon, who is here to discuss safeguarding children against dog bites. Dr. Dillon, great to see you. Thanks for stopping by.

Jasjit Dillon: Thank you for the invitation.

Bill Klaproth (host): You betcha. So, let's jump right into this. According to studies, who is the most susceptible to being bitten by a dog?

Jasjit Dillon: Unfortunately, it's children. Children are twice as much more likely to have a dog bite injury in the craniofacial region.

Bill Klaproth (host): Why is it children? Is it because they just don't know how to guard themselves, like, "Oh, I better be careful around this"? They just rush right in. Is that generally why?

Jasjit Dillon: You know, we are actually not that sure. We've had a lot of sort of narrative around this. Is it because they're small? They're at the same height. They don't really understand the safety. They get too close. They have these really big eyes. Kissing and maybe touching the dog in an area where the dog is not comfortable and that causes this reaction.

I sort of like also looked at sort of veterinary data in terms of the eyes, and children have these very big eyes that are very attractive. But when you think about the animal population and dogs in particular, the eyes can be threatening. And so, we haven't really come to the bottom of this, but certainly the pediatric population and children and particularly children under the age of 12 are very vulnerable to dog bite injuries.

Bill Klaproth (host): I never would have thought eyes were a reason that children are more susceptible to dog bites, but that's very interesting to hear. So, let's talk about the different types of dogs who would be most identified as being involved in biting incidences. What types of dogs are we talking about?

Jasjit Dillon: So, in general, almost 30 percent of the injuries that I looked at were the pitbull. And that comes to mind when you think about the pitbull breed and the aggressiveness of that breed. Having said that, when you look at the data, there is a range. So, even something as passive as the Labrador had almost a 7 percent risk. So, I would sort of come back. And we had a fair number of patients in our study where we actually didn’t have which dog it was. So, I would always say any dog irrespective of how long you’ve had the dog. I have a dog, I love my dog, but I would never have my child put their face near my dog.

Bill Klaproth (host): So, that’s very interesting. So, for a parent listening to this, be guarded around any dog. Even though the dog might look very safe and docile, just have your guard up a little bit. Is that a good way to look at it?

Jasjit Dillon: Yeah, I think that’s critical. And one of the things that always concerns me is this social media and the celebrities and they have their babies. And then, they have these photos with their pet right near the new baby. All of that is a narrative that I would not like to encourage because there’s certainly an increased risk of that baby being attacked.

Bill Klaproth (host): And then what should we do to avoid dog bites?

Jasjit Dillon: In this vulnerable population, again, never leave your child alone with your dog ever. I think that's critical when you look at the devastating injuries and the deaths, the dog was alone with the baby and, obviously, there's been some horrific cases in the news. But you always want to keep the child supervised.

And the other thing is to make sure that the child understands there are things you must not do just randomly go and touch and grab and to their face, where they can be vulnerable. And if a dog is eating, that's an absolute no-no. It's very important that the child doesn't go towards the dog when they're eating, because the animal will perceive that as a threat irrespective of how much that animal loves you.

Bill Klaproth (host): So, is there an age when it is safe then for a child to be alone more around dog? I'm thinking maybe eight, nine, I don't know. I'm just asking.

Jasjit Dillon: That's a great question. We didn't actually look at that in our study. What we found is 12 and below were at increased risk. And certainly, the under 6s, we found that that group, the injuries were predominantly around the eyes, which is why that's a big focus. With adults, it tends to be noses, mouths, lips, but children’s eyes.

I think as a parent myself, I think it's very important to think when is your child understanding the importance of safety and risk. And for every child, that is going to be different. So as a parent, you have to assess that for your child.

Bill Klaproth (host): You helped answer the question though. So, generally under six is kind of the timeframe where you really have to be more cautious around dogs.

Jasjit Dillon: I would say so, yes.

Bill Klaproth (host): Yeah. Okay. So, should a victim then have a consultation with an OMS when experiencing a dog bite?

Jasjit Dillon: One hundred percent. I think as maxillofacial surgeons, we are the experts in treating injuries of the head and neck, the mouth. And if you have a dog bite, I would strongly encourage you to see your local oral and maxillofacial surgeon.

Bill Klaproth (host): So, thank you for your time. This has really been fascinating and informative. Any final thoughts when it comes to safeguarding children against dog bites, Dr. Dillon?

Jasjit Dillon: One thing is other than what we have said as an Association, we have a National Facial Injury Protection Month, which is in April. And the American Veterinary Society also has it in around April. And what we are trying to do is be very collaborative and we will be working with that Association hopefully in the future. So, we can really help to get this message out.

Bill Klaproth (host): And it is a good message. So, thank you again for your time. We really appreciate it.

Jasjit Dillon: Thank you very much for the invitation.

Bill Klaproth (host): You bet. That is Dr. Jas Dillon. And for more information and the full podcast library, please visit MyOMS.org. And if you found this podcast to be interesting, please share it on all of your social media and don't forget to subscribe. Thanks for listening.