Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39953620›Full record

ArticleHead & face medicine2025

Oropharyngeal abscesses with repeated health care visits - the characteristics in patients with odontogenic and peritonsillar abscesses.

Hanna-Riikka Ahde, Suvi-Tuuli Vilén, Johanna Uittamo, Antti Mäkitie, Johanna Snäll, Miika Toivari

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Article in Head & face medicine, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Hanna-Riikka AhdeDepartment of Oral and Maxillofacial Diseases, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland. hanna.ahde@helsinki.fi.
Suvi-Tuuli VilénDepartment of Oral and Maxillofacial Diseases, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
Johanna UittamoDepartment of Oral and Maxillofacial Diseases, Helsinki University Hospital and University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
Antti MäkitieDepartment of Otorhinolaryngology, Research Program in Systems Oncology, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital Head and Neck Center, Helsinki, Finland.
Johanna SnällDepartment of Oral and Maxillofacial Diseases, Helsinki University Hospital and University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
Miika ToivariDepartment of Oral and Maxillofacial Diseases, Helsinki University Hospital and University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeDeep neck infection is a potentially life-threatening condition, and thus, early identification and treatment are essential. This study explored the diagnostic challenges and preceding treatment in patients with repeated healthcare contacts due to an odontogenic or a peritonsillar abscess.

methodsA retrospective study of oropharyngeal abscesses in hospitalized patients was conducted. Included were inpatients with an odontogenic or a peritonsillar abscess during 2019. Excluded were patients with other infection type and patients with an odontogenic abscess preceded by tooth removal. The main outcome variable was repeated healthcare visit(s) due to the current infection prior to hospitalization. The primary predictor variable was source of infection. Explanatory variables comprised age, sex, duration of symptoms (days), clinical findings, and referring unit. Additional analyses were conducted for patients with repeated healthcare visits. Study groups were compared using Fisher's exact test, Student's t-test, test where appropriate. A 2 × 2 risk analysis was performed.

resultsAltogether 294 patients, 153 (52.0%) with an odontogenic abscess and 141 (48.0%) with a peritonsillar abscess, were included in the study. Source of infection was unidentified more often in patients with an odontogenic than a peritonsillar abscess (P < .001). In all, 106 patients (36.1%) had repeated healthcare visits prior to hospitalization, which was significantly associated with an odontogenic abscess (P = .039). Active intervention was conducted in only 34.0% of the patients with repeated healthcare visits.

conclusionsClinicians have challenges in recognizing a developing odontogenic abscess, which remains essential for prompt and effective surgical intervention.

Indexed as

AbscessPeritonsillar AbscessAdultAgedFemaleHospitalizationHumansMaleMiddle AgedRetrospective StudiesAbscess treatmentOdontogenic abscessPeritonsillar abscessRepeated healthcare visits

Identifiers

PMID39953620
PMCPMC11829418

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.