First aid brushup: Wound management - Mouth injuries (non-dental)

Identification

Injuries to the tongue, cheeks or lips may be readily reported by the casualty.

Management

Where a cheek has been injured, have the casualty sit up with their head leaning forward and towards the injured side to allow blood to drain.  Pressure should be applied to the wound with a clean pad.  Rinsing the mouth out is not recommended as this will interfere with clotting.  It may be wise to loosen restrictive clothing around the neck.






Where the tongue has been bitten, water should be used to wash the area clean.  The tongue can be pressed against the roof of the mouth to apply pressure to stop the bleeding, and applying ice will help reduce swelling.  Similarly, where a lip has been injured, water should also be used to wash the area clean and ice given to reduce the swelling.






In all cases, injuries to the mouth should be monitored for infection and injuries that seem significant should be referred to a doctor.

Acknowledgement

As with other posts in this series, the information supplied is from Kym Eden's Fun with First Aid (2013).