Dental Infection Requiring Hospitalisation Is a Public Health Problem in Australia: A Systematic Review Demonstrating...

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Epidemiology
• Dental Medicine

Background:

• Dental infections represent a significant cause of hospital admissions.
• Understanding trends in dental infections requiring hospitalization is essential for public health policy.
• Existing literature on Australian dental infection hospitalizations requires synthesis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review and analyze published literature on dental infections leading to hospitalizations in Australia.
• To identify patterns, trends, and associated factors of dental infections requiring hospital care.
• To provide a basis for improved preventive and management policies for dental infections.

Main Methods:

• Systematic review of published literature.
• Electronic database searches including Web of Science, Medline, and Google Scholar.
• Analysis of nine retrospective studies based on predefined inclusion/exclusion criteria, focusing on demographics, etiology, management, length of stay, and outcomes.

Main Results:

• Nine retrospective studies encompassing 2196 cases of dental infections leading to hospitalization were analyzed.
• Male patients predominated (55-67%), with significant comorbidities including mental health issues, substance abuse, and immunosuppression (up to 58%).
• Dental caries (59-90%) and pericoronitis (10-19%) were the primary causes; empirical antibiotics were common pre-hospitalization (up to 75%), and six mortalities were reported.

Conclusions:

• Dental infections constitute a substantial public health concern in Australia, often necessitating hospitalization.
• Current data limitations, including small sample sizes and inconsistent data collection, hinder definitive conclusions.
• Enhanced, standardized data collection is imperative for developing robust prevention and management strategies for hospital-treated dental infections.