Treatment of Odontogenic Pain in a Correctional Setting

Abstract

Odontogenic pain, or toothache, is highly prevalent in correctional facilities. When there is no dental sick call because the dental clinic is closed or the facility has no dental clinic, it is critical that midlevel providers and physicians triage and manage these patients until a dentist can resolve the problem. This article explores the etiology and diagnosis of toothache, presents the authors' opinion of the standard of care for managing these patients, and makes three recommendations: (a) access to timely and definitive dental treatment should be available to all inmates experiencing dental pain, (b) antibiotic use should be limited to patients with frank infection, and (c) progress of patients awaiting a dental appointment should be monitored with frequency consistent with the differential diagnosis.

Section 1983 Civil Liability Against Prison Officials and Dentists for Delaying Dental Care

“…Clinical guidelines require that inmates be examined by “mid-level” correctional health care providers within 24 hr after reporting dental pain (Shulman & Sauter, 2012, p. 67). When inmates suffer from pain, courts rule that long delays in treating cavities, excessive delays in pulling teeth, and undue delays in getting dentures constitutes deliberate indifference to serious dental needs.…”