A collection of recent medical studies examining nonfatal dog bite injuries in Level 1 trauma centers, national fatal dog bite injury studies, government studies and breed-specific law studies.
July 2023
Level 1 Trauma Center Studies Characterizing Dog Bite Injuries Across Major U.S. Geographical Regions (2011-2022)A review of 22 retrospective dog bite studies from U.S. Level 1 trauma centers. In the majority of studies, pit bulls inflicted a higher prevalence and severity of injuries compared with other breeds.
March 2020
Dog-Bite Injuries to the Craniofacial Region: An Epidemiologic and Pattern-of-Injury Review at a Level 1 Trauma CenterA retrospective review of 182 patients over a 10-year period from a Level 1 trauma center in the Southeast found that pit bulls inflicted more complex wounds compared with other dog breeds.
July 2019
Pediatric Dog Bite Injuries in Central TexasA retrospective review of 102 pediatric patients ages ≤ 18-years old from the pediatric trauma registry showed that bulls accounted for the highest prevalence and severity of injuries.
February 2019
Dog Bite Injuries to the Face: Is There Risk with Breed Ownership? A Systematic Review with Meta-AnalysisA retrospective review of 240 pediatric patients, as well as a meta-analysis, showed that pit bulls and mixed-breeds pose the highest relative risk of biting and cause the most damage per bite.
October 2017
An Algorithmic Approach to Operative Management of Complex Pediatric Dog Bites: 3-Year Review of a Level I Regional Referral Pediatric Trauma HospitalA retrospective review of 108 dog bite victims over a 3-year period from a pediatric Level 1 trauma center in the Northeast. Pit bull injuries required operative repair 3 times more than other breeds.
April 2017
Characteristics of 1616 Consecutive Dog Bite Injuries at a Single InstitutionA retrospective review of 1616 dog bite victims over a 4-year period from a pediatric Level 1 trauma center in the Southeast. Pit bull bites were implicated in half of all surgeries performed.
January-February 2015
Dog Bites of the Head and Neck: An Evaluation of a Common Pediatric Trauma and Associated TreatmentA retrospective review of 334 dog bite injuries from a Level 1 trauma center in Sacramento. One third of all injuries were caused by pit bull terriers and resulted in the highest rate of consultation
May 2018
U.S. Dog Bite Fatalities: Breeds of Dogs Involved, Age Groups and Other Factors Over a 13-Year Period (2005 to 2017)A 2018 report issued by DogsBite.org shows that over 35 dog breeds contributed to 433 deaths in a 13-year period. Pit bulls contributed to 66% of these deaths, followed by rottweilers with 10%.
September 15, 2000
Breeds of Dogs Involved in Fatal Human Attacks in the United States Between 1979 and 1998A special report issued by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)1 in 2000 reviewed a 20-year period to determine the types of dog breeds most responsible for U.S. dog bite fatalities.
November 2020
The Changing Epidemiology of Dog Bite Injuries in the United States, 2005–2018Using federal and state dog bite-related injury data, this study provides contemporary data on the incidence of dog bite injuries in the United States and in New York from 2005 to 2018.
November 2010
Emergency Department Visits and Inpatient Stays Involving Dog Bites, 2008The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality published a study in 2010 showing that the number of Americans hospitalized for dog bite injuries almost doubled over a 15-year period.
June 30, 2012
Effectiveness of Breed-Specific Legislation in Decreasing the Incidence of Dog-Bite Injury Hospitalisations in People in the Canadian Province of ManitobaA study analyzing dog bite injury hospitalizations over a 23-year period (1984 to 2006) in Manitoba showed a significant reduction at the provincial level after implementing breed-specific laws.
December 2010
Decline in Hospitalisations Due to Dog Bite Injuries in Catalonia, 1997–2008. An Effect of Government Regulation?A study analyzing hospitalizations for dog bite injuries over a 12-year period in Catalonia, Spain after changes in legal regulations, including breed-specific regulations, showed a 38% decrease.
DogsBite