Dental abscess

Revision as of 16:15, 27 November 2017 by Iwm5010 (talk | contribs) (→‎Management)

Background

  • Associated with dental caries or nonviable teeth
  • Significant erosion of the pulp with bacterial overgrowth

Clinical Features

  • Acute pain, swelling, and mild tooth elevation
  • Exquisite sensitivity to percussion or chewing on the involved tooth
  • Swelling in surrounding gingiva, buccal, lingual or palatal regions
  • May see small white pustule (parulis) in gingival surface characteristic for abscesses

Differential Diagnosis

Dentoalveolar Injuries

Odontogenic Infections

Other

Evaluation

  • Clinical evaluation
  • Radiographs

Management

  • Analgesia with NSAIDs, opiates and local anesthetics
  • Dental follow-up within 48 hrs.
  • Emergent oral surgeon followup if complicated (Ludwig's angina, Lemierre's syndrome)

Antibiotics

Treatment is broad and focused on polymicrobial infection

I&D

  • Can be performed in ED depending on provider comfort or by a dental consultant

Procedure

  • Probe with 18g needle
  • Purulent
  • 11 blade stab incision
  • Hemostat blunt dissection +/- packing

See Also

References

  • ER Atlas