5 Key Takeaways

• 1

  Pediatric head and neck abscess incidence increased over threefold postpandemic compared to prepandemic levels.

• 2

  The study analyzed 194 patients aged 18 years or younger treated for head and neck abscesses from 2017 to 2024.

• 3

  Incidence rates rose from 3.34 cases per 10,000 ED patients prepandemic to 10.95 postpandemic.

• 4

  No significant differences in patient demographics or clinical management were found across the study periods.

• 5

  The study's limitations include geographic constraints and the inability to establish causality for the observed increase.