Abstract
Odontogenic infections can become life-threatening if not managed in a timely manner,
and they increase the physical cost of treatment to the patient and the financial
cost to the public health system. We investigated the number of admissions to a Queensland
tertiary hospital within a decade, and differences in the patients’ characteristics,
severity at presentation, and clinical outcomes. We compared patients with odontogenic
infections who were taken to theatre at the Royal Brisbane & Women’s Hospital (RBWH)
between January 2003 and December 2004 with those treated between January 2013 and
December 2014, a total of 292. Data on demographics, presentation, previous history,
antimicrobial treatment, and admissions, were collated and analysed. There were no
significant differences in demographics. In the 2013/2014 group there was a two-fold
increase in infections related to lower third molars (p = 0.001), a 50% increase in trismus (p = 0.001), and a 20% increase in submandibular swelling (p = 0.010). The percentage of patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) was three
and a half times higher in the 2013/2014 group (p = 0.001). The presentation of odontogenic infections has increased in the decade from
2003/2004 to 2013/2014. Measures of the severity of disease have increased, while
the basic characteristics of the patients have remained constant. Improved primary
preventative measures and early interventions are therefore needed to alleviate the
burden that these infections place on the public health system.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: January 24, 2020
Accepted:
January 10,
2020
Identification
Copyright
© 2020 The British Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
