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Although falls and road traffic accidents are frequent causes of oro-facial soft tissue injuries, less common causes, like burns and dog bites are more likely to result in death.

This paper analyses the prevalence, pattern and treatment outcome of eight cases of facial dog bite in Nigerian children seen and managed at the Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital's Complex, a tertiary hospital located in Southwestern Nigeria. During the study period of 18 months (July 1996-December 1997), a total of 174 cases of facial soft tissue injuries in children were managed, two of which resulted in rabies and death of the patients. Based on the findings of this analysis, we suggest that unprovoked facial dog bites inflicted by familiar domestic dogs may be complicated by rabies. Ignorance about the risk of uncompleted treatment, financial constraints and scarcity of the vaccine may be implicated in the outcome. The need to improve community knowledge of rabies and the availability and affordability of rabies vaccine are highlighted.

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