Determinants of length of hospitalization due to acute odontogenic maxillofacial infections: a 2009-2013 retrospective analysis.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the determinants of the length of hospitalization (LOH) due to acute odontogenic maxillofacial infections (AOMIs) from 2009 to 2013.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: Dental records of adult patients with AOMIs and related data were retrieved from the Vilnius University's dental hospital. The LOH was related to several determinants in each of the following domains: outpatient primary care, severity of AOMIs, lifestyle and disease domains. Determinants were also associated with the LOH using multivariate analysis.

RESULTS: A total of 285 patients were hospitalized with AOMIs, of which 166 (58.2%) were males and 119 (41.8%) were females. The mean LOH was 8.3 ± 4.9 days. The bivariate analysis did not reveal any statistically significant differences in LOH between patients with AOMIs who received urgent outpatient primary care and those who did not receive such care prior to hospitalization. All AOMI severity-related determinants were associated with the LOH. The LOH was related to coexisting systemic conditions but not to the higher severity of dental or periodontal diseases. Both bivariate and multivariate analyses revealed similar trends, where the most significant determinants of a longer LOH were related to the severity of AOMIs.

CONCLUSION: The most important determinants regarding longer hospitalization were indicators of infection severity such as an extension of the odontogenic infection and the need for an extraoral incision to drain the infection.