Periostitis in children (in a simpler language - flux) is a disease that provokes the appearance of an inflammatory process in the periosteum. It arises as a complication of periodontal, periodontal or if the diseased teeth were not cured in time.
Types of disease
Depending on the nature of the inflammatory process, periostitis in children is divided into a chronic and acute form. The acute form of the disease is also divided into several different forms. Next, we consider in more detail each of them.
Acute serous form
This form of pathology develops very rapidly - in just 1-3 days. The main signs are the appearance of swelling in the soft tissues of the face, the flux is located near the affected tooth. In most cases, periostitis in children occurs as a result of a severe bruise, fracture, and therefore it can also be called traumatic periostitis. Inflammation in acute serous form is very fast, usually without outside intervention.
Acute purulent form
Acute purulent periostitis in children is characterized by severe pulsating pain that spreads to the ear, eyes and temples. The mucous membrane quickly turns red, swelling is observed and body temperature rises sharply. The accumulation of pus occurs gradually, so the symptoms may become more pronounced. Acute purulent periostitis in children can occur due to a variety of reasons.
Diffuse form of the disease
A characteristic sign for this form of jaw periostitis in children is severe pain, then general intoxication of the body occurs. Body temperature begins to rise to high levels, weakness appears throughout the body, and appetite almost completely disappears. It is worth noting that in this case, inflammation spreads very widely.
Chronic form
This form of pathology is more rare than acute. In most cases, it develops directly on the lower jaw. The main sign will be severe swelling, which will lead to a change in facial features. At the location of the flux, the bone begins to thicken, which leads to an increase in the size of adjacent lymph nodes.
Chronic periostitis can occur without any symptoms for several months. In this case, exacerbation may occur from time to time, and the symptomatology will resemble acute periostitis in children.
Causes of the disease
Periostitis of the jaw bones in children is very common, and there are many reasons for its appearance. The main of them, experts call the accumulation in the tooth cavity or under the diseased gum of putrefactive decay particles that may remain after eating. Because of this, the inflammatory process begins to develop, pus forms, and the lesion focus passes to the periosteum.
Other reasons include the following.
- A tooth or tissue around it was injured. Because of this, inflammation can begin to develop directly in the bone tissue or an internal hematoma will occur.
- There is a neglected form of caries, which turned into pulpitis or periodontitis - bacteria began to affect not only the tooth root, but also the tissues located around it.
- Periosteum infection due to unprofessional dental intervention.
- The inflammatory process in the gingival pocket began to develop.
- A person does not properly monitor oral hygiene.
- Complication after furunculosis or sore throat.
- An extensive infectious disease is present, leading to infection in the periosteum through lymph or blood.
Common signs of pathology
Despite the fact that the treatment of periostitis in children is selected individually, absolutely all its forms have some common symptoms. These include the following:
- at the site of the lesion, severe pain is felt that spreads to the head and neck;
- swollen cheek;
- when pressing on a bad tooth, severe pain occurs;
- swollen and reddened lower eyelid, wings of the nose and lips;
- the gum, located next to a diseased tooth, begins to turn red;
- body temperature rises;
- there is a constant general weakness.
At an older age, symptoms may be less pronounced.
Developmental stages
For some, the appearance of flux may come as a surprise, but in fact the pathology develops gradually, but at the same time quickly enough.
- 1st stage. During the meal, pain appears in the affected tooth.
- 2 stage. The gum around a diseased tooth begins to blush and swell. If you do not start treatment, then the swelling after some time passes into the abscess.
- 3 stage. Swelling of the cheeks, lips, chin appears on the side where the flux is. For example, with periostitis of the lower jaw in children, all manifestations will be seen in this area.
- 4 stage. The body temperature rises sharply, a pulsating pain appears in the affected area, which gives to the temples, ears. Most often, such symptoms are observed with periostitis of the upper jaw in children.
This disease can go through all stages of development in just a few days. If you do not start treatment on time, then the abscess may erupt, the symptoms will disappear, but the inflammatory process will begin to affect the deeper tissues and the periosteum itself. After some time, the flux will again make itself felt.
Diagnosis of the disease
Making the right diagnosis will not be so difficult. To do this, it is enough to conduct a thorough examination of the patient's oral cavity. In some cases, it is impossible to do without an X-ray examination and laboratory tests, so that you can accurately establish the stage of development of periostitis. After diagnosis, it will be possible to choose the most suitable way to treat the disease.
Treatment of the early stages of the disease
At the first stage of the development of flux, the formation of an abscess, as a rule, does not yet occur, therefore, pathology can be treated without surgical intervention. The patient should take painkillers and antibiotics to eliminate the inflammatory process. It should be noted that treatment must be carried out only under the supervision of a specialist. Also, at an early stage of development of periostitis, it will be necessary to determine whether the tooth can be saved or not. Very often, people do not pay attention to toothache in the early stages, so the pathology continues to develop rapidly.
Surgical treatment
If before the abscess began to form, a person does not seek the help of a specialist, then the treatment of periostitis should be carried out with the help of surgical intervention.
If there is an abscess, treatment will be divided into the following stages:
- The affected area is anesthetized.
- Near a diseased tooth, a small incision is made in the gum. Sometimes bone tissue needs to be cut to completely release the pus.
- After the pus comes out, you need to carefully treat the inflamed area with antiseptics.
- In order for the remaining pus to continue to go out, drainage is laid in the groove. This is necessary so that the focus of the periostitis does not have time to completely heal until the pus comes out completely.
- The patient should take antibiotics to eliminate the inflammatory process.
- After the complete elimination of pus, the drainage is removed, and the restoration of bone tissue begins. Gums heal with minor surgery. If the cut was deeper, then it needs to be sewn up.
- If significant tooth decay has occurred, then it is removed.
Antibiotic treatment
In any case, it is impossible to treat periostitis with antibiotics alone. Only a specialist can choose the right medicine after a thorough examination of the patient. Antibiotics are selected individually. Together with them, funds are prescribed for pain relief and elimination of the inflammatory process. It is also worth taking medications that will reduce the harmful effects of antibiotics on the internal systems of organs. The dosage should also be prescribed by the attending physician, because in this situation it is important to take into account the general condition of the sick person, the severity of the pathology.
Periostitis is a very unpleasant disease that can have very serious consequences. Therefore, you should not endure a toothache, it is better to immediately seek help from a specialist. It is also important to properly and regularly monitor the oral cavity to minimize factors that can affect the development of the inflammatory process in the periosteum. At the first symptoms of the development of periostitis, it is worthwhile to consult a specialist in order to avoid surgical intervention.