Lymphadenitis

Lymphadenitis (Latin lymphadenitis) is an inflammation of the lymph nodes that occurs as a secondary reaction to a primary infectious focus. In dental practice, lymphadenitis most often develops as a complication of acute inflammatory processes such as apical abscess or periostitis, osteomyelitis of the jaw.

Etiology and pathophysiology

When the infection spreads, microorganisms, their toxins, and tissue decay products enter the lymphatic pathways and reach the nearest lymph nodes (usually submandibular or cervical). The lymph node acts as a filter, trapping pathogens, which causes it to swell, increase in size, and become painful due to capsule tension.

Clinical significance

Enlarged and dense lymph nodes indicate that the body’s defenses are actively fighting the spread of infection outside the oral cavity. The condition of the nodes helps the doctor to assess the severity of the disease. Usually lymphadenitis goes away on its own after eliminating the cause in the diseased tooth and eliminating the purulent focus.

In case of detection of enlarged lymph nodes, it is necessary to conduct a careful differential diagnosis, since the cause may be not only nonspecific inflammation, but also the presence of a specific infection (syphilis, tuberculosis, HIV infection, herpes infection and others) or malignant neoplasm.