What are dentoalveolar infections?

Also known as: dentoalveolar abscess, dental abscess.

The word dentoalveolar refers to the teeth and the sockets that the teeth rest in.

When bacteria enters a tooth through a hole (caries), crack in the tooth, poor hygiene, thin enamel etc. causing a localized infection in or around the tooth (abscess), or if the infection spreads from the tooth to cause deep infections in the neck, it’s known as a dentoalveolar infection.

It is rare in infants before primary tooth eruption.

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Reviewed by: Jack Wolfsdorf, MD, FAAP

This page was last updated on: 1/29/2019 3:21:13 PM