Epidemiologic and ethiologic evaluation of deep neck infection in Shiraz Khalili hospital during ۱۹۹۶ – ۲۰۰۵

Introduction: infections of the head and neck spaces are serious and dangerous due to vicinity to the great vessels and mediastinum. The most common source of infection leading to head and neck space abscess, are dental infection. This retrospective study was performed to determine the prevalence of head and neck space infections following dental infections, the spaces involved, the most common microorganisms involved in these infections and to determine the prevalence of head and neck space infections according to age and sex of the patients. Materials and Methods: In this retrospective study, the charts of ۲۴۱ patients with head and neck space infections referring to Khalili hospital during the past ۱۰ years was reviewed and data well assessed. Results: The most common source of head and neck space infections was dental infections occurring in ۱۴۱ patients (۵۸.۵%). From these ۱۴۱ patients, ۷۹ patients were male and ۶۲ patients were female. The most common age of involvement was the ۳rd decade (۳۹ patient ۲۷ ۶%). The second most common cause was tonsillitis occurring in ۳۳ patients (۱۳.۷%). The most common spaces involved in ۱۴۱ patients with head and neck space infection following dental infections, were: simultaneous involvement of submandibular, sub mental and sublingual space bilaterally (Ludwig's angina) in ۵۳ patients (۳۷.۶%) followed by sumbandibular space in ۴۵ patients (۳۱.۹%) and Para pharyngeal space in ۳۷ patients (۲۶.۲%).  Culture has been performed in only ۳۴ patients from which bacterial growth occurred in ۱۸ cases. The most common organism was non hemolytic streptococci (۱۱ cases). Conclusion: Head and neck space infection are dangerous and life threatening conditions that occur most commonly following dental infections so it seems that escalating the general knowledge about oral health, increasing dentistry centers and early and proper management of dental infections have a major role in reducing the incidence of head and neck abscesses.

کلیدواژه ها:

odontogenic infection ، Head and neck spaces infection ، Deep neck infection