Acute periapical abscesses and obese patients.

Purpose: To evaluate the prevalence of acute periapical abscesses (PAs) in obese patients.

Methods: Integrated data of hospital patients was used. Data from the corresponding diagnosis codes for obesity and PAs was retrieved by identifying the appropriate ICD 10 codes in the database.

Results: Out of 1,874,214 hospital patients studied, 147,195 patients were classified as obese, of which 3,349 had acute PAs. The difference in prevalence of PAs between obese and average-weight patients was statistically significant (OR 4.22, 95%CI: 4.05-4.39, P< 0.0001). Adjustment for diabetes comorbidity reduced the OR to 2.55; however, the difference remained statistically significant (95%CI: 2.43-2.68, P< 0.0001). Adjustment for smoking reduced the OR to 2.63; however, the difference remained statistically significant (95%CI: 2.51- 2.87, P< 0.0001). Adjustment for periodontal disease comorbidity reduced the OR to 3.85; however, the difference remained statistically significant (95%CI: 3.70-4.01, P< 0.0001). Females were more affected than males; adults were more affected than children; and African Americans were more affected than Whites.

Clinical significance: Oral healthcare providers should be aware of the possible higher prevalence of periapical abscesses in obese patients as compared to average-weight individuals.