Efficiency of Empirically Administered Antibiotics in Patients with Cervical Infections of Odontogenic Origin

BACKGROUND AND AIMS Odontogenic infections are among the main types of disorders located in the cephalic extremity. The aim of this study was to determine the efficiency of empirically administered antibiotics on the bacterial strains identified at the infection sites. PATIENTS AND METHOD The study included 10 randomly selected patients with odontogenic cervical soft tissue infections, who received antibiotic treatment prescribed by the family doctor or the dentist. The bacterial flora involved in the development of the septic process, the type of antibiotic administered to the patient and the sensitivity of the identified bacterial flora to the administered antibiotic were determined. RESULTS In the 10 selected patients, 14 bacterial strains were detected; 7 patients had a single bacterial strain, and 3 patients had two or three types of bacteria. Of the administered antibiotics, amoxicillin was the most widely used (33.3% of the cases), followed by amoxicillin with beta-lactamase inhibitors (25% of the cases). In half of the patients, there was no sensitivity of the bacteria detected in the septic focus to the empirically administered antibiotic, and in 10% of the cases, partial sensitivity was evidenced. CONCLUSIONS Empirical administration of antibiotics without the association of surgery did not prove to be effective in the treatment of cervical infections of odontogenic origin.