Oral Infections Lead to More Hospitalizations

If serious tooth abscess is left untreated, it could lead to sudden death, according to a report released Friday.

Deamonte Driver, a 12-year old boy from Maryland died in 2007 after bacteria from an abscessed tooth spread to his brain, the New York Times reported.

A new study suggests that deaths from these otherwise preventable infections may not be as rare as it once was. The number of Americans hospitalized due to oral infections may also be on the rise.

The study showed that dental problems account for hundreds of thousands of emergency room visits yearly.

The analysis published in the Journal of Endodontics studied patients who had to be hospitalized because of an infection of the tip of the tooth's root, called a periapical abscess.

It is a common consequence of untreated tooth decay and it can be dangerous if it spreads.

"We have not had verification before of the number of deaths," said Dr. Frank Catalanotto, chairman of the department of community dentistry and behavioral science at the University of Florida, College of Dentistry. He was not involved in the report.

Abscessed tooth can easily be treated with a root canal or an extraction if money and access are not a problem.