Epidemiological profile of odontogenic infections in hospitalized patients in a university hospital

Abstract

Objective: to outline the clinical and epidemiological profile of patients hospitalized with odontogenic infections treated at the Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and Traumatology Service of the Maria Aparecida Pedrossian University Hospital of the Federal University of Mato Grosso do Sul, from January 2010 to January 2025. Methodology: this is a descriptive, analytical, retrospective, and documentary study, based on the analysis of electronic medical records. The variables an alyzed included sociodemographic data (sex, age group, race), clinical data (length of stay, affected fascial spaces, teeth and sextants involved, prior and inpatient use of antibiotics), and therapeutic data (type of treatment instituted and clinical evolution). Results: among the numerous results obtained in this final sample of 185 valid medical records, a predominance of young individuals was observed, especially between 20 and 39 years of age, and a higher occurrence in self-de-clared Black and mixed-race patients, which may highlight inequalities in access to and adherence to preventive dental care. The submandibular, vestibular, and buccal fascial spaces were the most affected, consistent with the dental origin of the infections, predominantly involving lower molars and premolars, with amoxicillin as the antibiotic of choice before hospitalization and a variety of combinations at the time of hospitalization. The results obtained are fundamental to assisting in the formulation of prevention strategies, in the standardization of clinical-hospital management, and in the improvement of public oral health policies, aiming at reducing hospitalizations, complications, and costs to the health system.