Profile of patients hospitalized with odontogenic infections in a public hospital in Belo Horizonte, Brazil

Objectives: We aimed to evaluate the profile of hospitalized patients presenting with odontogenic infections requiring intensive care and to identify predictive factors of worsening of the disease. Study Design: In this retrospective study, 119 consecutive medical records were assessed for data regarding odontogenic infections. The variables examined were age, gender, etiology, time from onset of infection to hospital admission, hospital stay, complications during hospitalization, and anatomical sites affected. Results: Most patients were female (64.7%) and the mean age of our study group was 28.3 years. Average length of hospital stay was 7.3 ± 6.3 days and the mean time from onset of infection to hospitalization was 6.9 days. Lower teeth corresponded to the initially affected site in the great majority (72.3%) of the cases and the mandibular third molar was the most commonly first infected tooth (31.9%). Post-surgical infection was involved in 21.8% of the cases. Systemic conditions were reported for 18.5% of the patients, mainly hypertension, but they were not determinant for admission. The main reasons for hospitalization were dyslalia, dysphagia, and dyspnea, either as single or associated signs (96.6%). Antimicrobial therapy was administered alone or combined with surgical drainage to 64 (53.8%) and 53 (44.5%) patients, respectively. Conclusions: Overall data generated by this investigation on the profile of severe odontogenic infection patients in our region are similar to those reported by other researchers. Conversely we found a higher prevalence of the disease among women in disagreement with previously published results. Such a kind of study may improve our knowledge relative to the disease and also reveal the regional scenario regarding severe odontogenic infections. Consequently it may contribute to the designing of strategies that may lead to a more efficient oral health care system what ultimately would culminate with the prevention of more severe outcomes from the disease