Risk factors of recurrence and life-threatening complications for patients hospitalized with chronic suppurative osteomyelitis of the jaw

Background: Clinically, recurrence and life-threatening complications are challenging problems for chronic suppurative osteomyelitis of the jaw (CSOJ), but there is no quantitative analysis or report about the causes of or risk factors for the two problems to date. Doctors identify the causes or risk factors only through clinical experience. We performed a retrospective study of 322 patients with CSOJ to quantificationally analysed the risk factors for the abovementioned two problems by logistic regression analysis. Methods: A retrospective study of 322 patients hospitalized with CSOJ was performed. The socio-demographic and clinical characteristics were recorded. The risk factors for the above two problems were analyzed by logistic regression analysis. Frequency and percentage were used to indicate descriptive research factors. A univariate logistic regression analysis was performed to calculate the odds ratio (OR) and to identify independent risk factors. The independent risk factors were further identified by multivariate logistic regression analysis. Results: An age from 6-12 years or > 65 years, pre-admission antibiotic administration, a lesion at the mandibular ramus, concurrent maxillofacial space infection (MSI), and conservation of pathogenic teeth were found to be risk factors for recurrence. An age > 65 years, admission temperature > 39 degree Celsius, admission white blood cell (WBC) count > 15x10(9)/L, pre-admission antibiotic administration, concurrent MSI, pre-existing diabetes, and respiratory difficulty were found to be risk factors for life-threatening complications. Conclusions: The results indicate that doctors should remain mindful of the risk factors listed above, and the management of CSOJ should be increasingly aggressive when the above risk factors are present, especially when the lesion is located at the mandibular ramus. In addition, pathogenic teeth must be extracted, and antibiotics should be administered properly.