Dental Emergencies

Author: Chris Connolly, Katherine Rankin / Editor: Tajek B Hassan / Reviewers: Louise Burrows, Tadgh Moriarty, Phil Delbridge / Code: O9 / Published: 25/09/2023

This module describes different types of dental infection and the pathophysiology of their development.

After completing this session you will be able to:

  • Describe the different types of dental infection and the pathophysiology of their development
  • Differentiate between simple dental abscess and those infections in which admission is needed
  • Prescribe an appropriate treatment regime for uncomplicated dental abscess
  • Identify Ludwig’s angina and initiate appropriate referral and treatment
  • Identify Vincent’s angina and initiate appropriate treatment
  • Be able to describe the anatomy of a tooth and timeframes for eruption of deciduous and permanent teeth
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References

  1. Anderson R, Calder L, Thomas DW. Antibiotic prescribing for dental conditions: general medical practitioners and dentists compared. Br Dent J. 2000 Apr 8;188(7):398-400.
  2. Pennycook A, Makower R, Brewer A. et al. The management of dental problems presenting to an accident and emergency department. J R Soc Med. 1993 Dec;86(12):702-3.
  3. Patel KK, Driscoll P. Dental knowledge of accident and emergency senior house officers. Emerg Med J. 2002 Nov;19(6):539-41.
  4. Shweta, Prakash SK. Dental abscess: a microbiological review. Dent Res J 2013;10(5):585-591
  5. Robertson D, Smith AJ. The microbiology of the acute dental abscess. J Med Microbiol. 2009 Feb;58(Pt 2):155-162.
  6. Roy KM, Bagg J. Antibiotic prescribing by general dental practitioners in the Greater Glasgow Health Board, Scotland. Br Dent J. 2000 Jun 24;188(12):674-6.
  7. Palmer NO, Martin MV, Pealing R, Ireland RS. An analysis of antibiotic prescriptions from general dental practitioners in England. J Antimicrob Chemother. 2000 Dec;46(6):1033-5.
  8. Samaranayake LP, Johnson NW. Guidelines for the use of antimicrobial agents to minimise development of resistance. Int Dent J. 1999 Aug;49(4):189-95.
  9. National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. British National Formulary (BNF), Section 5.1 Antibacterial Drugs. 2017. [Accessed Aug 2023].
  10. Kangabam SD, Heisnam I. LUDWIGS ANGINA AND ANAESTHETIC DIFFICULTIES: A CASE REPORT. Journal of Evolution of Medical and Dental Sciences. 2015 Apr 6;4(28):49169.
  11. Quinn FB Jr. Ludwig angina. Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 1999 May;125(5):599.
  12. Saifeldeen K, Evans R. Ludwigs angina. Emergency Medicine Journal 2004;21:242-243.
  13. McCormack MG, Smith AJ, et al. Staphylococcus aureus and the oral cavity: an overlooked source of carriage and infection? Am J Infect Control. 2015 Jan;43(1):35-7.
  14. Maroldi R, Farina D, et al. Emergency imaging assessment of deep neck space infections. Semin Ultrasound CT MR. 2012 Oct;33(5):432-42.
  15. Jain H, Knorr TL, Sinha V. Retropharyngeal Abscess. [Updated 2023 Jun 15]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2023 Jan-.
  16. HSE Antibiotic Prescribing; Acute Dento-Alveolar Infection, Dec 2019. Reviewed Feb 2021.

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