Emergencies in Periodontics 11 November 2017
A periodontal abscess is characterised by rapid destruction of the support tissue around the tooth, occurring over the course of a limited period of time, with easily-detectable clinical symptoms: an accumulation of often localised pus situated inside the gum wall of the gingival and periodontal pocket. A periodontal abscess is considered the third most common dental emergency— representing around 8% of dental emergencies in Spain and up to 14% in the United States. Although its prevalence is particularly high among patients with untreated periodontitis (59.7%), we also see a significant rate of periodontal abscesses among patients receiving follow-up periodontal treatment (13.5%). In addition, in a retrospective study of 114 patients undergoing periodontal maintenance for an average of 12.5 years, McLeod et al. detected periodontal abscesses in 37% of cases.
Author: Sylvie Pereira
