What should Head Start staff do if a child experiences an oral injury?
Oral injuries involving the teeth, gums, tongue, lips, and back of the throat are common in young children, When a child suffers an oral injury, it is important to keep the child as calm as possible. It may be difficult to help a panicked or distraught child, and the injury may be worsened. Often, oral injuries look more serious than they are because there are so many blood vessels in the area. If possible, clean the injured area(s) with lukewarm water very carefully to make it easier to see the injury and to try to control bleeding. Keep the child’s head upright and in a forward position to prevent the child from choking on blood. Keep phone numbers of the dentist and emergency medical services (EMS) in a convenient location in case of emergency. Keep children’s health records up to date, and document medications, serious medical problems, immunizations, date of last tetanus inoculation, and allergies. Following are tips for handling common oral injuries. First, determine whether the
Oral injuries involving the teeth, gums, tongue, lips, and back of the throat are common in young children, When a child suffers an oral injury, it is important to keep the child as calm as possible. It may be difficult to help a panicked or distraught child, and the injury may be worsened. Often, oral injuries look more serious than they are because there are so many blood vessels in the area. If possible, clean the injured area(s) with lukewarm water very carefully to make it easier to see the injury and to try to control bleeding. Keep the child’s head upright and in a forward position to prevent the child from choking on blood. Keep phone numbers of the dentist and emergency medical services (EMS) in a convenient location in case of emergency. Keep children’s health records up to date, and document medications, serious medical problems, immunizations, date of last tetanus inoculation, and allergies. Following are tips for handling common oral injuries. First, determine whether the
