Osteomyelitis of the jaw - symptoms

Osteomyelitis of the jaw is an infectious disease of the bone. The lower jaw is more often affected than the upper jaw twice. Depending on the cause of osteomyelitis occurs: odontogenic, traumatic, hematogenous.

Traumatic osteomyelitis of the jaw occurs when the infection enters the bone tissue in fractures or gunshot wounds.

Hematogenic osteomyelitis of the jaw develops when the infection is transferred from the blood from the lesion to the bone. This can occur with chronic tonsillitis, and acute conditions such as scarlet fever, diphtheria. This type of disease - a fairly rare phenomenon. Hematogenous osteomyelitis, the symptoms of which are diverse, can be difficult to diagnose in the initial stage.

Most often there is odontogenic appearance, which is half of all osteomyelitis of the jaw. The disease begins to develop when the microbes get from the diseased tooth into the bone tissue and the brain substance. The causative agent may be staphylococcus, streptococcus, anaerobic bacteria. Usually this occurs with exacerbation of periodontitis, cyst, granuloma, complicated caries. Distinguish acute, subacute and chronic form of odontogenic osteomyelitis.

The acute form is characterized by weakness, malaise, headaches. There is a fever and a bad dream. The patient's condition can be mild, moderate and severe. In the beginning, a person complains of pain in the tooth. There is edema, poor mobility of the lower jaw, reddening and soreness of the mucous membrane around the tooth, acute pain when tapping. The lymph nodes on the neck are enlarged and painful when probed. Perhaps the development of an abscess. The patient looks sluggish, the skin covers have a grayish hue, blood pressure can be lowered or increased, jaundice eye sclera is possible. At the beginning of the disease, diagnosis is difficult due to the prevalence of general symptoms.

Subacute osteomyelitis of the jaw develops after the release of pus from the inflamed part of the bone, when the patient is somewhat relieved. At this stage, the necrotic areas of bone tissue and fistula are formed. Inflammation is dulled, but does not disappear. Bone tissue continues to deteriorate.

Chronic osteomyelitis of the lower jaw lasts for several months. In this case, periods of exacerbation, during which new fistulas and dead tissue areas of sequestrum form, are replaced by periods of apparent recovery. Seldom can self-healing occur.

For the diagnosis of osteomyelitis, an X-ray examination is performed, blood is taken for analysis, guided by examination data and anamnesis.

Treatment of osteomyelitis is to remove the tooth from which the inflammation began. Cuttings of the periosteum are made to ensure the release of the inflammatory fluid. Prescribe antibiotics inside and local washing of bone tissue with antiseptic solutions. In severe cases, a surgical operation is carried out to remove dead bone and jaw plastic.

Refusal to treat osteomyelitis can result in serious complications, such as abscess, phlegmon, pathological fracture in the jaw area, limited mobility of the lower jaw, and blood infection.

To avoid osteomyelitis of the lower jaw, you must constantly monitor the oral cavity, regularly visit the dentist for sanitation. It is timely to treat all the diseased teeth and not to leave untreated carious cavities. It is necessary to practice oral hygiene and try to avoid injuries to the jaw and face. Prevention of osteomyelitis is also in the timely treatment of various infections, especially the upper respiratory tract.