THE SWOLLEN FACE

Owing to the widespread availability of preventive dental care and the development of effective antibiotics for the treatment of orofacial infection, the incidence of serious odontogenic infections has decreased dramatically over the past 50 years. Serious dental infections still occur, however, and their occasionally severe complications or even mortality warrant serious study of the clinical presentation, anatomy, and pathophysiology of orofacial infections. The goal of this review is to provide the emergency practitioner with a concise description of the clinical presentation, relevant anatomy, and treatment principles of odontogenic infection in the patient who presents to the ED with a swollen face or difficulty in opening the mouth widely. Prompt institution of surgical therapy for the infection, aided by appropriate antibiotic therapy enables the healthcare professions to continue their remarkable progress in treating these once-dreaded infections.