Social deprivation and severe cervicofacial abscess: A retrospective review of patients presenting to a tertiary oral and maxillofacial surgery unit.

Abstract

Background: Severe cervicofacial abscesses require emergency incision and drainage under general anaesthetic to avoid life-threatening sequelae. There is a well-described association between dental disease and socioeconomic status (SES), and most cervicofacial abscesses are odontogenic. Method(s): We retrospectively reviewed the relationship between severe cervicofacial infection and SES in patients presenting to a tertiary Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery (OMFS) unit. Result(s): There were 96 patients with severe cervicofacial abscess in 2019-20, increasing by 11.5 %-107 patients in 2021-22 (t-test = -0.665, p = 0.513). Patients were disproportionately from the most deprived areas, with a majority of patients living in the three most deprived deciles in both datasets (71.9 % and 64.7 % respectively). There was no statistical difference in deprivation indices between the two time periods (X2 = 7.44, p = 0.591). While the cohorts had high indices of deprivation, these were not significantly different to the areas served by the hospital (X2 = 11.42, p = 0.248). Conclusion(s): This dataset demonstrates a high incidence of severe cervicofacial abscess in a deprived population. This relationship is likely to reflect a number of factors including access to primary dental care, lifestyle factors including smoking, and background medical comorbidities. Further iterations of data collection and multi-centre collaboration will improve our understanding of the relationship between social deprivation and severe cervicofacial abscess. Copyright © 2025 The Authors