Many cases of cellulitis in the head and neck region among hospitalized pediatric patients are related to odontogenic infections. C-reactive protein (CRP), white blood cell (WBC) count, neutrophils to lymphocytes ratio (NLR), D-dimer, and prealbumin can be used to assess the severity of odontogenic inflammation. The aim of the study is to evaluate the biochemical parameters as a predictor factor of the severity of odontogenic cellulitis in children. This study was conducted from 2020 to 2021 on patients admitted to the Department of Pediatric Otolaryngology and Pediatric Head and Neck Surgery of the Upper Silesian Children’s Health Center in Katowice. We included 40 patients aged 2–16 in the study, who were divided into two groups: research (SS-Study subject) (n = 20) and control (CS-Control subject) (n = 20). The patients underwent an interview and physical examination to assess the presence of intraoral and extraoral swelling and the presence of trismus. The patients who qualified for the study had blood taken to determine the level of CRP, WBCs, NLR, D-dimers, and prealbumin. Differences in biochemical test results in the SS and CS were statistically significant (p < 0.05). In the SS group, the mean values of biochemical parameters exceeded the clinical norm. A statistically significant positive relationship was found between CRP and extraoral swelling. The NLR correlates significantly with extraoral swelling and the length of hospitalization. D-dimer statistically correlated with trismus, extraoral swelling, and the number of anatomical spaces involved. The NLR and CRP ratio can be considered a prognostic marker of the course of infection and hospitalization time.

The most common cause of the development of odontogenic infection is untreated dental caries, which initially leads to pulpitis. If an odontogenic infection is left untreated, it will pass through the limiting bone plate and will infiltrate deeper structures. Odontogenic infections are different in adults and children. The study was conducted at the Department of Pediatric Otolaryngology and Pediatric Head and Neck Surgery of Upper Silesian Children’s Health Center in Katowice in the 2020–2022. We included 27 patients aged 2–16 in the study. Patients were diagnosed with an active, acute odontogenic inflammatory process in the head and neck area. We assessed pain, trismus, extraoral and intraoral swelling and the level of CRP [C Reactive Protein], WBC [White Blood Cells], NLR [Neutrophil Lymphocyte Ratio], D-dimers and Prealbumins. The results were analyzed in terms of the location of the source of inflammation: maxilla or mandible and the type of source of infection: deciduous tooth or permanent tooth. Deciduous teeth are more often the cause of odontogenic infection in the maxilla, while permanent teeth in the mandible. Trismus, extraoral, and intraoral swelling occurred in all infections caused by permanent teeth. The CRP and NLR ratio is statistically higher in infection, which originates from permanent teeth. The mean hospitalization time was also longer for infections from permanent teeth 3.42 days than for deciduous teeth 2.2 days. The varied clinical picture of odontogenic infections in children requires periodic analyzes of statistical data related to epidemiology, etiology, and symptomatology in order to update diagnostic and therapeutic procedures.

Patient: Male, 16-year-old Final Diagnosis: The bilateral maxillary pseudoaneurysms Symptoms: Pain • paresis • swelling Medication: — Clinical Procedure: Embolization Specialty: Dentistry • otolaryngology Objective: Rare disease Background: Pseudoaneurysms of the head and neck region are relatively rare and consequently there are few reports in the literature. The main causes of pseudoaneurysms in the head and neck area are associated with blunt or penetrating injuries in this area or are iatrogenic, originating during surgical procedures. Case Report: The authors illustrate a case of a 16-year-old boy who had an accident on a scooter. A maxillary artery hemorrhage occurred after multiple craniofacial trauma including bilateral fracture of the condylar processes and treatment with intravascular embolization. Due to the anatomical location of the injury and deep location of the maxillary artery, it was impossible to control the bleeding by direct pressure; the only option was vessel embolization using interventional radiology or surgical intervention. The authors describe symptoms of pseudoaneurysm: pain in the area of the temporomandibular joint on the left side, persistent bilateral swelling of the cheeks and parotideomasseteric region with a greater asymmetry on the left side, as well as peripheral paresis of the facial nerve on the left side. The diagnosis was based on magnetic resonance imaging, ultrasound, and angio-CT. A reduction in the clotted pseudoaneurysm size on the left side was confirmed after 6 and 10 months through monitoring ultrasound examination of the neck vessels. Conclusions: No similar case of a patient has been reported in the available literature. The development of bilateral pseudoaneurysms after injury is very rare. However, doctors should be alert to this possibility in the case of massive post-traumatic or postoperative bleeding.

Background and objective: Hyperbaric oxygen (HBO2) has been the subject of research in many areas of dentistry. HBO2 seems to be a useable, additional treatment method. However, there are still no certain conclusions and clear guidelines for procedures. The aim of the study was to collect current literature assessing the use of hyperbaric oxygen therapy in the treatment of periodontitis. Materials and Methods: The following review was performed using medical databases Medline via PubMed and Google Scholar. The review presents articles which assess the effect of hyperbaric oxygen therapy in combination with non-surgical scaling and root planing (SRP) in patients with periodontitis as an adjunctive method to standard protocols. Results: There are potentially plausible mechanisms by which HBO2 could be beneficial. Further welldesigned science research and clinical trials are needed. Due to a small body of literature, differences in methodology and observation periods the data are not sufficient for statistical analysis. Conclusion: The use of HBO2 seems to be reasonable as an adjunct method of the periodontitis treatment. However, authors of this literature review could not unambiguously state that hyperbaric oxygen therapy could be commonly recommended as a potential method of periodontitis treatment. It is essential to develop consistent protocols for the procedure and further research in this area.  DOI: 10.22462/01.01.2023.17