[Correlation of odontogenic soft tissue infection and thermal effects with special reference to temperature sense....

A possible correlation between the thermal effects of the weather and the frequency of odontogenic soft-tissue infections was investigated with special regard to the so-called felt temperature (gT). Clinical data of 2111 patients of the years 1992-1996 in whom an incision was made because of an odontogenic soft-tissue infection were evaluated retrospectively and correlated to meteorological data for Aachen, collected or calculated by the "Deutsche Wetterdienst". In order to describe the thermal exchange between the human organism and the surroundings in a satisfactory way, the gT was chosen. The gT is a complexly calculated meteorological parameter which allows physiologically adequate estimation of the thermic surroundings of humans. Over the whole study time there was no impressive correlation between course and changing of the gT and the frequency of odontogenic soft-tissue infections. This result agrees with our finding that there was no seasonal accumulation of odontogenic soft-tissue infections over the year in Aachen. Nevertheless, there was a statistically significant negative correlation between values or weighted changes of the gT and the frequency of abscess and/or infiltration in the winter and less in springtime. A similar statistically significant correlation could not be found for summer or autumn.