TUESDAY, June 19 (HealthDay News) -- Men are much more likely than women to suffer a human bite injury, and these injuries typically occur in drunken fighting, an Irish study finds.

The researchers reviewed the cases of 92 patients (85 men, 7 women) who were treated for human bite wounds at the plastic surgery service at St. James's Hospital in Dublin between January 2003 and December 2005.

The study found that seven out of 10 bites were to the face, and 65 percent of the facial bites were to the ear. Bites became infected in 20 percent of patients, and infection was most likely to occur in patients who waited more than 12 hours to seek medical attention.

Men were 12 times more likely than women to suffer severe human bite injuries that might require surgery. In the majority of cases, alcohol was a factor, and the bite wounds occurred during brawls on weekends or public holidays.

Of the patients in the study, only 14 percent had, or planned to have, reconstructive surgery to repair the aesthetic damage caused by the bite.

Alcohol was a factor in 86 percent of the cases, and illicit drugs were a factor in 12 percent. The study also found that 70 percent of the bite injuries occurred on a weekend or public holiday.

The findings were published online June 19 in the July issue of the Emergency Medicine Journal.

"The incidence of human bite wounds is largely unknown, because many minor injuries do not present to the emergency department for medical assessment," the study authors wrote.

More information

The MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia has more about human bites.