Do dental infections really cause central nervous system infections?

Abstract

In the post-World War I antibiotic era, the prevalence of central nervous system (CNS) infections is estimated to be 1 per 100,000 population. The literature is replete with anecdotal case reports of CNS infections of apparent dental etiology. Conversely, it is widely cited that the incidence of CNS infection of dental etiology is only in the range of 1% to 2%. We seek to answer the question if dental infections really cause CNS infections. In this article, we focus on septic cavernous sinus thrombosis and brain abscess and if it is a diagnosis of exclusion or evidence-based.