Association of periodontal disease and the prevalence of acute periapical abscesses.

BACKGROUND

Acute periapical abscesses (PAs) are a health risk to patients and require prompt and efficient treatment. The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to assess the prevalence of acute PAs in patients with periodontal disease (PD).

METHODS

Data aggregated from 1,799,122 patients visiting a large health center were recorded. Data from the corresponding diagnosis codes for PD and acute PAs were retrieved by searching the appropriate query in the database. The odds ratios (ORs) of acute PA and its association with PD were calculated and analyzed statistically.

RESULTS

Patients with PD showed significantly more PAs than did patients without PD (P < .0001). The OR for acute PAs in patients with PD was 46.2, and the difference in prevalence compared with the total hospital patient population was statistically significant (P < .0001). After adjustment for diabetes mellitus comorbidity, the OR for acute PAs in patients with a history of PD was 12.19, and the difference was statistically significant (P < .0001). After adjustment for smoking comorbidity, the OR for acute PAs in patients with a history of PD was 10.13, and the difference was statistically significant (P < .0001).

CONCLUSIONS

Under the conditions of this study, it appears that the odds for acute PAs are significantly higher in patients with PD seeking treatment for pain due to acute PAs.

PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: Oral health care professionals should be aware of the possible association between PD and increased occurrence of acute PAs.