Orofacial Injuries Associated with Pre-hospital Management of Febrile Convulsion

Objectives:To document the prevalence and pattern of orofacial injuries caused by the use of traditional management remedies in suburban Nigerian population Methods:All consecutive children with febrile convulsion who presented at the children's emergency unit of the OAUTHC, Ile-Ife, Nigeria from september 2002 to December 2004 constituted the sample population. Results:Over the study period, 75 cases of febrile convulsion presented to the hospital.twenty seven children(36%) sustained orofacial injuries caused by forceful insertion of spoons in the mouth (96.35) and a bite (3.7%) during convulsive episodes. The ages ranged from 12 to 84 months. They were 15 males and 11 females. The injuries sustained are as follows: Lacerations of the lower lip (10), upper lip (3), commissures(10), labial, cheek and palatal mucosa(5), tongue (2). Bruises on the lips(10) tongue(2) and commissures(7).Subluxation and displacement of 71 and 81 (3). Avulsion of 51 and 61 (10) Conclusion: The traditional management of febrile convulsion caused both oral and dental injuries. This practice should be discouraged and the recognition and prompt management of these injuries would be of immense benefit to the patient