Rapid quantitative determination of C-reactive protein at chair side in dental emergency patients

Objectives. The objective of this study was to quantitatively determine, at chair side, the serum C-reactive protein (CRP) levels in dental emergency patients. Study design. Quantitative CRP test was performed at chair side in 40 patients with acute alveolar abscess (AAA), acute periodontal abscess (APA), and alveolar osteitis (AO) at the time of dental emergency treatment and 1 week after. CRP levels were compared between groups and before and after treatments using ANOVA and Fisher's Exact tests. Results. Serum CRP levels were greater than 5 mg/L in 30 (75%) of the 40 patients. At 1-week follow-up, the decline in CRP levels was evident in the AAA group (P <.05), but not statistically significant in the APA and AO groups (P <.05). Conclusion. Serum CRP levels are often elevated in patients with odontogenic infections and postoperative complications. Rapid reduction in serum CRP levels was likely to occur following successful treatment of AAA, but less likely to occur in APA and AO.