A CLINICO-STATISTICAL ANALYSIS ON THE FASCIAL SPACE INFECTIONS OF ORAL AND MAXILLOFACIAL REGION

구강 악안면 근막간극 감염에 관한 임상통계학적 분석

We have conducted a retrospective study of 224 patients with the diagnosis of oral and maxillofacial infection who had been treated between 1988 and 1999 at Gyeong-Sang National University Hospital. This study was aimed to furnish the data of oral and maxillofacial infection and to aid diagnosis and treatment. The most common fascial space involved, as determined by clinical, radiologic, and operative findings, were the submandibular space(39.4%). The most frequent cause of oral and maxillofacial infection was odontogenic 68.8%. In the odontogenic cause, dental caries was the most common cause. Two-hundred three patients required surgical drainage of the abscess. Seventeen patients needed tracheostomy for airway control. The overall mortality was 0.9% despite aggressive anti-microbial therapy and early surgical intervention. All other patients had an uneventful recovery without major complication except osteomyelitis case(6.0%). The combination of early radiologic diagnosis, effective antimicrobial therapy, and intensive surgical management contributed to the good prognosis.