Chin Injury in Children

Recently in my OPD a child of approx 5 years of age came with his father. Father told that he is very naughty and while running at home he fell down and hurt his chin. It was third time when the kid had injury over his chin. There was a dressing over chin. On gentle removal of dressing and careful examination I found a cut over bony point of chin. It was deep to the muscle. There were marks or scars of previous injury adjacent to cut.

What is Chin area?

                                                       Lower Jaw forming chin and Joint

Chin formation is contributed by lower jaw. Lower jaw is a U shaped bone called as #mandible. It has two vertical limbs and one horizontal limb. Lower border of Central part of horizontal limb form the chin. It is covered by muscle, fatty tissue. Upper margin of bone is embedded with teeth. Vertical part of lower jaw articulates with skull bone and forms a very important #joint called as #Temporo-mandibular joint or TM Joint. On opening and closing your mouth you can feel joint movement in front of ear.

What is chin injury in children?

Chin is the area where bone is present under the skin. When someone falls on ground with face down chin strikes with the ground and skin gets a cut over chin. Depending upon the weight of child or severity of impact this cut is of variable depth and can involve skin, underlying fatty tissue and muscle. In couple of cases injury is severe and can damage the bone of lower jaw.

                                                               Cut Injury on chin

Why chin #injury is of serious concern in toddlers?

In most of cases chin injury does not involve jaw #bone and these types of injuries are not of special concern. In couple of cases it can involve bone of lower jaw then it is a case of concern and requires special treatment. It should be diagnosed at the time of injury otherwise kids may develop various problems.

To Whom consult after child get injury on chin?

If a kid gets chin injury and there is cut and bleeding you should immediately consult with #plastic surgeon for chin injury treatment. Sometime children don’t have cut over chin but they complain of pain in front of #ear on jaw opening or closing then it is a sign of special concern and you should consult with a #plastic surgeon. He will not only treat soft tissue injury but also diagnose any bony injury if present

What can happen if it is neglected?

If there is cut wound on chin area of kid after fall and it also has some bony injury it should not be neglected because it usually affect joint area. If this remains unnoticed or neglected then jaw bone may get fused with #skull bone.This complication is called as Temporomandibular Joint Ankylosis It results into difficulty in opening mouth and chewing food, maintaining oral hygiene. Development of jaw will be affected and there are chances that #Facial asymmetry may develop with child growth.

                                                                       
                                                   Neglected chin injury



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