An objective method of assessing facial swelling in patients with dental abscesses treated with clarithromycin.
Minerva Stomatol
; 53(5): 263-71, 2004 May.
Article
en En, It
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-15263882
ABSTRACT
AIM:
The study evaluates the efficacy of a set of objective parameters for monitoring facial swelling in a group of patients treated with clarithromycin.METHODS:
Fifty consecutive patients suffering from dental abscesses (22 in the maxillary arch and 28 in the mandibular arch) were enrolled. All these patients underwent antibiotic treatment with clarithromycin in a new formulation as a single daily dose (500 mg/day for 6 days). Pain and changes in facial swelling were evaluated at baseline and each day for 6 days through subjective parameters (visual analogic scale, VAS) and objective parameters (6 different tape measurements on the skin surface above the abscess).RESULTS:
Pain and swelling recorded by patient and dentist (using VAS scores) showed statistically significant decreases (p<0.01) on days 2, 3 and 4, while no further significant variation was observed during days 4, 5 or 6. As regards the objective parameters to quantify facial swelling, the maximum dimensional change (from baseline to final values) in the mandibular arch was obtained with measurement 6 (mean value 2.27+/-0.53 cm); the maximum dimensional change in the maxillary arch was obtained with the sum of the other 5 measurements (mean value 6.34+/-4.09 cm).CONCLUSION:
The use of a single or a combination of linear measurements might provide a sensitive and reproducible method to evaluate facial swelling objectively and could be very useful in monitoring the efficacy of new antibiotics and to compare the results from different studies.
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Colección:
01-internacional
Banco de datos:
MEDLINE
Asunto principal:
Absceso Periodontal
/
Claritromicina
/
Cara
/
Antibacterianos
Límite:
Adult
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
Idioma:
En
/
It
Revista:
Minerva Stomatol
Año:
2004
Tipo del documento:
Article
País de afiliación:
Italia