Gingivitis Treatment & Management

  • Author: James M Stephen, MD, FAAEM, FACEP; Chief Editor: Steven C Dronen, MD, FAAEM   more...
 
Updated: Apr 12, 2010
 

Emergency Department Care

  • In simple chronic gingivitis, ED intervention is not needed.
  • In ANUG, patients usually only need pain management in the ED.
  • If signs of systemic infection (eg, fever, sepsis) or progression to gangrenous stomatitis (noma) with soft tissue or bone destruction are present, then patients will need intravenous antibiotics, and possibly imaging of the affected areas, but this complication is exceedingly rare.
  • Proper oral hygiene (including brushing and flossing) should be stressed. The patient should be referred to a dentist or periodontist.
  • General measures
    • Remove irritating factors such as plaque, calculus, and faulty dentures.
    • Use a warm saline rinse.
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Contributor Information and Disclosures
Author

James M Stephen, MD, FAAEM, FACEP  Assistant Professor, Tufts University School of Medicine; Attending Physician and Director of Medical Informatics, Department of Emergency Medicine, Associate Director, Kiwanis Pediatric Trauma Service, Tufts Medical Center

James M Stephen, MD, FAAEM, FACEP is a member of the following medical societies: American Academy of Emergency Medicine and American College of Emergency Physicians

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Specialty Editor Board

Michael Glick, DMD  Professor and Acting Chair, Department of Diagnostic Sciences, New Jersey Dental School, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey

Michael Glick, DMD is a member of the following medical societies: American Academy of Oral Medicine and American Dental Association

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Francisco Talavera, PharmD, PhD  Senior Pharmacy Editor, eMedicine

Disclosure: eMedicine Salary Employment

Mark W Fourre, MD  Program Director, Department of Emergency Medicine, Maine Medical Center; Associate Clinical Professor, Department of Surgery, University of Vermont School of Medicine

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

John D Halamka, MD, MS  Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center; Chief Information Officer, CareGroup Healthcare System and Harvard Medical School; Attending Physician, Division of Emergency Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center

John D Halamka, MD, MS is a member of the following medical societies: American College of Emergency Physicians, American Medical Informatics Association, Phi Beta Kappa, and Society for Academic Emergency Medicine

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Chief Editor

Steven C Dronen, MD, FAAEM  Chair, Department of Emergency Medicine, LeConte Medical Center

Steven C Dronen, MD, FAAEM is a member of the following medical societies: American Academy of Emergency Medicine and Society for Academic Emergency Medicine

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

References

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Healthy mouth and gingiva. Note the healthy light pink color of the gingiva. The intradental papillae are sharp and fill the intradental space. No local edema is present. Image courtesy of Robert J. Lindberg, DMD.
Moderate chronic gingivitis. Note that the papillae are edematous and blunted. They may bleed with brushing. Note areas of edema overlying some of the root areas. Pallor is seen in these areas. Image courtesy of Robert J. Lindberg, DMD.
Severe periodontal disease. Loss of the gingival tissue is seen, making the teeth appear long. Even more effacement of the papillae is present. Heaped up ridges are observed in the areas overlying the roots. Image courtesy of Robert J. Lindberg, DMD.
 
 
 
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