The Effectiveness of an Alloplastic Epidermal Substitute in the Treatment of Burn Wounds in Children: A Comparative Clinical Study of Skin Substitutes and Silver and Paraffin Gauze Dressings

<b>Background</b>: Children make up a large percentage of those affected by burns worldwide, with most of them suffering from severe injuries that necessitate skilled medical attention. Despite medical progress, there is still no ideal dressing for the treatment of burn wounds in children. The aim of the study was to assess the impact of epidermal substitutes in the treatment of burn wounds in children. <b>Materials and Methods</b>: This retrospective study evaluates the use of three dressings in the treatment of pediatric burns at a major Polish burn center. A patient database was used to identify children who received treatment with silver dressings, paraffin dressings or epidermal substitutes from 2009 to 2023. A demographic analysis was performed to collect the following information: causes of burns, procedural details and patient outcomes. <b>Results</b>: There were 439 patients aged between 1 month and 18 years. For severe burns, the number of interventions was lowest among children with epidermal substitute application (<i>p</i> = 0.039). Paraffin gauze resulted in the greatest number of skin grafts, whereas alloplastic replacement produced the least amount of transplantation (<i>p</i> < 0.005) regardless of the severity of the burn. <b>Conclusions</b>: Epidermal substitutes offer a good dressing option for burn wounds to improve their treatment and reduce the need for skin graft coverage. In the future, extended comparative or randomized trials are needed to confirm our results.