Pacifiers and Teething Devices: A Risk for Craniofacial Injury in Children Under 2 Years Old

Pacifiers and teething devices are commonly introduced during infancy to soothe and comfort. This study aimed to investigate the incidence of emergency room visits for pediatric craniofacial injuries associated with pacifiers and teething devices. All craniofacial injuries due to "Pacifiers or Teething Rings" in children less than 2 years old were retrieved from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS). Age, sex, race, context of injury, cause of injury, and patient disposition were collected. Query revealed an estimated nationwide incidence of 5424 injuries from the years 2012 to 2021, with a mean age of 12.1 months at the time of injury. Most injuries occurred at home (70.2%), often resulting from falls while using the pacifier/teething device (71.0%). An estimated 97.6% of patients were released after emergency room treatment. Education regarding abstaining from pacifier and teething device use during activity may reduce the incidence of these injuries.