Original Research Article

Acute periapical abscesses in patients with herpes simplex type 1 and herpes zoster

¹ University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
² Department of Oral Diagnostic Sciences, University of Florida College of Dentistry, Gainesville, FL, USA

^* Correspondence: ilan@usc.edu

Received: 19 July 2022
Accepted: 14 September 2022

Abstract

Aim: To assess the prevalence of acute periapical abscesses (PAs) in patients infected with herpes simplex type 1 (HS-1) and herpes zoster (HZ). Materials and methods: Integrated data of hospital patients was used. History of HS-1 and HZ diagnosis was retrieved by searching the appropriate query in the database. All cases were diagnosed for acute PAs by calibrated dentists in a hospital setting for patients admitted to urgent care. Diagnosis was made based on clinical examination and imaging data confirming the diagnosis of acute PAs without sinus tract. The odds ratio (OR) for the prevalence of acute PAs and its association with history of HS-1 and HZ were then calculated. Results: The prevalence of acute PAs in patients with a history HS-1 was 2.43% as compared to 0.59% in the general patient population of the hospital. The OR was 4.12 and the difference in prevalence was statistically significant (p < 0.0001). The prevalence of acute PAs in patients with a history HZ was 2.78% as compared to 0.59% in the general patient population of the hospital. The OR was 4.71 and the difference in prevalence was statistically significant (p < 0.0001). Conclusions: Under the conditions of this study, it appears that the prevalence of acute PAs is significantly higher in patients with a history of HS-1 and HZ infections and may warrant an antiviral therapy in certain resistant periapical abscesses.