The association between social deprivation dental access and cervicofacial infections of odontogenic origin in South East London

Background Cervicofacial infections of odontogenic origin (CIOO) pose a significant public health issue, often requiring hospital admissions. However, the effects of socioeconomic deprivation and access to primary care dentistry are unclear.Methods This study analysed all CIOO admissions at King's College Hospital from October 2020 to 2024, focusing on patients within the South East London Integrated Care Board boundary. Infection rates were evaluated against the Index of Multiple Deprivation and NHS dental access data at borough and lower layer super output area levels. Statistical analyses included ANOVA, Kruskal-Wallis tests, Spearman's correlation, and Poisson regression.Results A total of 378 CIOO patients met the inclusion criteria. Infection rates were strongly correlated with higher socioeconomic deprivation (ρ = -0.94, p