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You are seeing a 2-year-old who was running around the house and fell and bit his tongue 2 hours prior to presentation in the ED. Initially there was “a lot” of blood, but bleeding is now controlled. The child has no past medical history and is not on any medications. This is what you see. No associated dental or maxillofacial trauma is suspected.
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March 25, 2026 at 2:40 pm
A) Discharge home with instructions to follow a soft diet
Tongue lacerations in healthy children with no other injuries often do not require repair. Indications for repair include: large lacerations (> 2 cm is often quoted as a size cutoff), large gaping lacerations or large flaps such that food could lodge in the laceration, lacerations that bisect the edge of the tongue creating a “snake tongue” appearance, through and through lacerations, lacerations where bleeding is not controlled. Repair in children often requires procedural sedation. A temporary strong (e.g. 0-silk) suture can be placed through the tip of the tongue to be used to pull it forward for better visualization and access to the laceration (as seen on The Pitt recently). If repaired, absorbable suture is used.