Early Drainage Versus Antibiotic Treatment of Dental Abscesses in the Pediatric Emergency Department

Objectives: – Dental abscesses are common pediatric emergencies requiring prompt intervention. It is unclear which treatment approach is superior in pediatric populations. This retrospective study compared outcomes between pediatric patients treated with drainage and those managed with antibiotic treatment alone. Methods: – Data from 211 patients at 2 campuses of the same medical center were analyzed, assessing demographics, clinical presentation, laboratory findings, treatment modalities, and outcomes. Results: – Demographics, symptom duration, fever characteristics, or laboratory parameters were comparable between the two groups. There were no significant differences in hospitalization length or treatment failure rates. However, admission rates were significantly lower in the drainage group compared with the conservative treatment group (49% vs 63%, P = 0.04). Conclusion: – Antibiotic treatment was found to be noninferior to drainage in terms of treatment failure and hospitalization duration, although admission rates were higher in the antibiotic treatment group. These findings suggest that antibiotic management may be an appropriate alternative in selected cases. Further prospective studies are needed to define the optimal treatment strategy based on clinical presentation and patient-specific factors.