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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Bitten by a child

104 replies

user1479630022 · 23/10/2025 14:13

Hello
my son (m9) was accidentally bitten on the top of the head by another child in his class at lunch time yestrrday. School called and we had to collect him as they said it may require stitches. I took him to a minor injuries clinic where the washed the rather deep tooth shaped hole in his head but said they won’t stitch or glue it due to it being treated as a bite and the risk of infection. They have given him a 3 day course of antibiotics.
the nurse asked lots of questions regarding the child the bite him and if I knew the child and if they had their vaccinations. None of which I knew as my son has just started in a new class.
I asked my son to check on his school friend today to see if her teeth were okay etc. my son tells me the child in question has only been at the school a couple of years as they moved here from Africa.
I rang the school this morning and explained the Qs the nurse was asking about if the other child had their vaccinations etc and they said they won’t tell me that.

is this right? I know a human bite can be quite nasty and am I right to ask to know if the other child has had vaccinations? Or am I over thinking and going over board?

thanks

OP posts:
Pleasegetmeacoffeesotired · 23/10/2025 14:15

How does one accidentally bite someone else on the top of the head??

Can you get in contact with the other child's parents?

BadgernTheGarden · 23/10/2025 14:17

Pleasegetmeacoffeesotired · 23/10/2025 14:15

How does one accidentally bite someone else on the top of the head??

Can you get in contact with the other child's parents?

Possibly clashed heads with teeth first, rather than a bite as such. Hence the asking about the other child's teeth, which I guess could have been damaged in a clash.

ZippyPeer · 23/10/2025 14:18

Not sure what regular vaccinations would relate to an infection you could get from someone's mouth? I mean rabies obv but we don't vaccinate for that here...

SnipSnipMrBurgess · 23/10/2025 14:19

You aren't entitled to know if the other child had vaccines.

You can ask the medical team to treat your child as if they didnt which they have with Antibiotics.

Not sure what Africa has to do with it.

Greggsit · 23/10/2025 14:20

The school has no right to pass on another child's medical history.In fact, they have an obligation to keep it confidential. If you want to find out, you'll have to ask the parents of the child.

Kuretake · 23/10/2025 14:21

BadgernTheGarden · 23/10/2025 14:17

Possibly clashed heads with teeth first, rather than a bite as such. Hence the asking about the other child's teeth, which I guess could have been damaged in a clash.

Edited
Show quote history

Yes! This happened to my niece with her best friend in a jumping off a swing incident.

BeMintFatball · 23/10/2025 14:21

Accidentally bit hard enough (and long enough) for a tooth to puncture skin???

How would that happen accidentally ?

But sounds like the right advice don’t close wound in case of trapping infection in. Couldn’t ask school for medical details of another child.

Personally I would be demanding the school explain would measures were going to be put in place to ensure another incident doesn’t occur

BadgernTheGarden · 23/10/2025 14:22

I would ask the nurse what they are specifically worried about. I wouldn't expect the school or the mum to give a whole list of vaccinations the child has or hasn't had. But if they wanted to know tetanus or some specific thing then the mum might be willing to tell you.

Greggsit · 23/10/2025 14:25

BeMintFatball · 23/10/2025 14:21

Accidentally bit hard enough (and long enough) for a tooth to puncture skin???

How would that happen accidentally ?

But sounds like the right advice don’t close wound in case of trapping infection in. Couldn’t ask school for medical details of another child.

Personally I would be demanding the school explain would measures were going to be put in place to ensure another incident doesn’t occur

Personally I would be demanding the school explain would measures were going to be put in place to ensure another incident doesn’t occur

What? Do you think the pupils should be made to wear helmets all the time? Accidents happen. If you want to stop things like two people accidentally clashing heads when they both bend over to pick something up at the same time, you'll have to tape everyone to their seats! Not everything is foreseeable, and not everything is worth mitigating against. Shit happens.

BadgernTheGarden · 23/10/2025 14:26

BeMintFatball · 23/10/2025 14:21

Accidentally bit hard enough (and long enough) for a tooth to puncture skin???

How would that happen accidentally ?

But sounds like the right advice don’t close wound in case of trapping infection in. Couldn’t ask school for medical details of another child.

Personally I would be demanding the school explain would measures were going to be put in place to ensure another incident doesn’t occur

See above, more likely an impact face on head, teeth first! Possibly the one child falling on the other, no intentional bite.

PixieandMe · 23/10/2025 14:29

A similar thing happened to my son when he was out 8. He and another pupil clashed during PE and her tooth went through my sons top lip. He had 1 stitch. I do not recall being asked if the other child's vaccines were all up to date. I do remember the mum messaging me to make sure my son was OK (which was lovely of her, it was just an accident).

Maybe your GP surgery could clarify or help?

BeMintFatball · 23/10/2025 14:29

@Greggsit I mean how is a bite accidental. In my mind a bite means the other child closed their jaw on the the OP’s child

A clash of heads is completely different and an expected hazard of school life.

Mamansparkles · 23/10/2025 14:41

SnipSnipMrBurgess · 23/10/2025 14:19

You aren't entitled to know if the other child had vaccines.

You can ask the medical team to treat your child as if they didnt which they have with Antibiotics.

Not sure what Africa has to do with it.

I think OP probably just included that the child had moved from Africa relatively recently as different countries have different childhood vaccination programmes and she wouldnt have been in the UK at vaccine age?

ClarissR · 23/10/2025 14:49

The nurse should have been treating your son as if he was bitten by someone unvaccinated. Maybe she was trying to ascertain whether the other child needed to be seen too, but clumsily.

Roosch · 23/10/2025 14:54

SnipSnipMrBurgess · 23/10/2025 14:19

You aren't entitled to know if the other child had vaccines.

You can ask the medical team to treat your child as if they didnt which they have with Antibiotics.

Not sure what Africa has to do with it.

Different vaccination schedule and risk of blood born infections in Africa. In some countries in Africa Heb B and HIV are much more prevalent than in the UK!

Roosch · 23/10/2025 14:55

This incident should be raised with the school principal / safe guarding. Children of that age should know better than to bite each other.

The age of criminal responsibility is 10, so if this child is 10 you can also report to the police.

BallerinaRadio · 23/10/2025 14:58

What a tale eh

Greggsit · 23/10/2025 15:02

Roosch · 23/10/2025 14:55

This incident should be raised with the school principal / safe guarding. Children of that age should know better than to bite each other.

The age of criminal responsibility is 10, so if this child is 10 you can also report to the police.

Police! FFS. The sixth word of the post is "Accidentally". Rather an important point don't you think?

IsThisLifeNow · 23/10/2025 15:10

Are there any infections that are covered by the UK vaccination schedule that would be passed on through a bite though?

I honestly don't think there are that a child would be at risk of having. Technically rabies can be passed by bites, but I'm pretty sure the biter needs to be symptomatic for them to transmit the virus so that's extremely unlikely. There has been 1 case of rabies acquired in the UK in the last 20 odd years, and that was a bat bite.

Main infections passed through bites are Hep C, Hep B and HIV, but even the chances of catching those would be extremely small from a child, and the natibiotics will take care of the bacterial ones

AllThisTime · 23/10/2025 15:21

BallerinaRadio · 23/10/2025 14:58

What a tale eh

Yep.

It’s getting really tedious.

IsEveryUserNameBloodyTaken · 23/10/2025 16:15

AllThisTime · 23/10/2025 15:21

Yep.

It’s getting really tedious.

Show quote history

What, you don’t think injuries occur in school.
I doubt there is no child that has ever not ended up needing medical care from an incident in school even if it is accidental.

BallerinaRadio · 23/10/2025 16:55

IsEveryUserNameBloodyTaken · 23/10/2025 16:15

What, you don’t think injuries occur in school.
I doubt there is no child that has ever not ended up needing medical care from an incident in school even if it is accidental.

Show quote history

I don't think that's what doubt is being cast upon here

Endofyear · 23/10/2025 17:19

This exact same thing happened to my son at school, the other child tripped on the steps and fell forward and his tooth went into the top of my son's head! Took him to minor injuries and it was cleaned and he was given antibiotics. They don't close the wound because of the risk of infection, apparently mouths harbour a lot of bacteria! They didn't ask about the other child and whether he's had vaccinations though - I would have thought that's private information that would be difficult to get. I suppose you could ask the school to ask the child's parents? But they might not be willing to disclose that information and there's not anything you can do about that. For what it's worth, my son's wound healed up fine!

Original poster
user1479630022 · 23/10/2025 17:26

Sorry maybe I should have specified
my son jumped back wards when playing a game with his friend and he wasn’t aware of the other child standing very closely behind him and yes her teeth did break the skin and make a pretty deep incision.

thank you for the useful messages, appreciated. I wasn’t sure if I should be asking or not. I will just leave it for now I think.

im not much of an over thinker unless it comes to my kids 🫣

OP posts:
lnks · 23/10/2025 17:34

user1479630022 · 23/10/2025 17:26

Sorry maybe I should have specified
my son jumped back wards when playing a game with his friend and he wasn’t aware of the other child standing very closely behind him and yes her teeth did break the skin and make a pretty deep incision.

thank you for the useful messages, appreciated. I wasn’t sure if I should be asking or not. I will just leave it for now I think.

im not much of an over thinker unless it comes to my kids 🫣

So not a bite then?