%0 Journal Article %A Kelli Nicole Patterson %A Kyle Z Horvath %A Peter C Minneci %A Rajan Thakkar %A LeeAnn Wurster %A Dana L Noffsinger %A Tran Bourgeois %A Katherine J Deans %T Pediatric dog bite injuries in the USA: a systematic review %D 2022 %R 10.1136/wjps-2021-000281 %J World Journal of Pediatric Surgery %P e000281 %V 5 %N 2 %X Introduction Dog bites are one of the leading causes of non-fatal emergency room visits in children. These injuries not only cause physical harm but can lead to long-term psychological stress. This study evaluated the current literature related to pediatric dog bite injuries to identify research gaps which should be prioritized to improve a major public health concern.Methods We performed a keyword search of PubMed, Scopus, and OVID Medline databases (January 1980– March 2020) for all published studies focused on dog bite injuries in the pediatric population (≤18 years of age) using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses.Results Out of 1859 abstracts screened, 43 studies involving 86 880 patients were included. Twenty-nine studies were retrospective chart reviews characterizing the epidemiology of dog bites and their associated treatment outcomes; six were prospective cohort studies; two were cross-sectional studies; and six were experimental studies. Synthesized results demonstrate that children <9 years of age suffer the greatest burden of injuries, with children <6 years of age at higher risk of more severe injuries involving the head, neck, and face.Conclusion Studies analyzing the prevention or psychosocial consequences of dog bites injuries are needed.No data are available. %U https://wjps.bmj.com/content/wjps/5/2/e000281.full.pdf