Management of severe acute dental infections

Acute dental infection typically occurs when bacteria invade the dental pulp (nerve) and spread to tissues surrounding the tooth. Radiological signs of tooth associated infection in the supporting bone are extremely common, affecting 0.5-13.9% (mean 5.4%) of all teeth in a large systematic analysis of cross sectional studies.1 In addition to localised disease, dental infections can spread regionally and haematogenously, causing serious disseminated infections, especially in patients who are medically compromised.2 3 General medical practitioners and those working in emergency departments are frequently asked to treat patients presenting with dental problems but often have little or no training in this area.4 The purpose of this review is to help general practitioners and non-specialists with the initial diagnosis and management of acute dental infections.