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A dental abscess is a localized collection of pus associated with a tooth. The most common type of dental abscess is a periapical abscess, and the second most common is a periodontal abscess. In a periapical abscess, usually the origin is a bacterial infection that has accumulated in the soft, often dead, pulp of the tooth.
Periapical periodontitis may develop into a periapical abscess, where a collection of pus forms at the end of the root, the consequence of spread of infection from the tooth pulp (odontogenic infection), or into a periapical cyst, where an epithelial lined, fluid-filled structure forms.
Periodontal disease; Other names: Gum disease, pyorrhea, periodontitis: Radiograph showing bone loss between the two roots of a tooth (black region). The spongy bone has receded due to infection under tooth, reducing the bony support for the tooth.
It is a type of dental abscess. A periodontal abscess occurs alongside a tooth, and is different from the more common [2] periapical abscess, which represents the spread of infection from a dead tooth (i.e. which has undergone pulpal necrosis). To reflect this, sometimes the term "lateral (periodontal) abscess" is used.
Green arrows indicate tooth decay. Blue arrows indicate abscess at root of tooth. The infection at the root of the tooth can travel through bone and infect surrounding soft tissue. Mouth infections are usually diagnosed on history and physical exam in the dental office or at a clinic visit with an otolaryngologist. [1]
[1] [2] Complications may include inflammation of the tissue around the tooth, tooth loss and infection or abscess formation. [1] [3] Tooth regeneration is an ongoing stem cell–based field of study that aims to find methods to reverse the effects of decay; current methods are based on easing symptoms.
Odontogenic infection starts as localised infection and may remain localised to the region where it started, or spread into adjacent or distant areas. It is estimated that 90–95% of all orofacial infections originate from the teeth or their supporting structures and are the most common infections in the oral and maxilofacial region. [3]
In 1890, W.D. Miller, considered the father of oral microbiology, was the first to associate pulpal disease with the presence of bacteria. [11] This was confirmed by Kakehashi, who, in 1965, proved that bacteria were the cause of pulpal and periradicular disease in studies using animal models; pulpal exposures were initiated in both normal and germ-free rats, and while no pathologic changes ...