{ "abstract": "Background: Odontogenic infections may progress to life-threatening complications if not managed promptly, and socioeconomic circumstances have been linked to their presentation, particularly where access to dental care is limited. Because every patient studied was already hospitalised, this analysis addresses the clinical type of infection at presentation, not the risk of developing one. Methodology: A retrospective cross-sectional review of hospital records was undertaken at the Allied Ward of Sunyani Teaching Hospital (January 2021 to January 2025). Of 811 consecutive admissions, 525 were excluded: 509 for non-odontogenic conditions and 16 for records missing more than 30% of required clinical fields, leaving 286 complete records. Chi-square tests were reported with Cramer’s V and Monte Carlo exact p-values where cells were sparse. Because the unpenalised model showed quasi-complete separation, the primary analysis was a Firth-penalised multinomial logistic regression, with abscess as the reference outcome. Results: Adjusting for age, sex, employment, residence, recorded oral hygiene, systemic comorbidity and alcohol use, unemployment was associated with higher adjusted odds of Ludwig’s angina (LA) and not abscess (AOR = 2.78, 95% CI 1.27–6.09), and rural residence with necrotizing fasciitis (NF; AOR = 3.62, 95% CI 1.33–9.80). Systemic comorbidity was associated with LA (AOR = 4.14, 95% CI 1.83–9.36), NF (AOR = 8.72, 95% CI 2.95–25.75) and cellulitis (AOR = 2.07, 95% CI 1.03–4.18). Absence of a recorded poor-hygiene entry was associated with cellulitis (AOR = 8.05, 95% CI 2.42–26.83), interpreted as a documentation artefact not a protective effect. Sex and alcohol use showed no association. Number of children, the sole source of separation, was not retained; its penalised intervals included 1. Conclusion: Unemployment and systemic comorbidity were associated with more severe presentations, and rural residence with NF specifically. Findings are associational and describe variation in infection type among admitted patients rather than infection risk, within a retrospective single-centre design.", "abstract_shown": true, "affiliations": [ "Department of Public Health, School of Public Health and Allied Sciences, Catholic University of Ghana, Fiapre, Ghana", "Sunyani Teaching Hospital, Sunyani, Ghana", "Department of Health Policy, Management and Economics, School of Public Health, College of Health Sciences, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana", "Department of Health Information Management, School of Allied Health Sciences, College of Health and Allied Health Sciences, University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast, Ghana" ], "article_type": "Research Article", "arxiv": null, "author_total": 6, "authors": [ { "affs": [ 0 ], "name": "Kwame Adu Okyere Boadu" }, { "affs": [ 1 ], "name": "Lydia Sarponmaa Asante" }, { "affs": [ 2 ], "name": "Paul Frimpong" }, { "affs": [ 3 ], "name": "Elijah Kwegyir Johnson" }, { "name": "Victor Wireko Adu" }, { "name": "Richard Okyere Boadu" } ], "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/0zyjpp1sk8dcs.bib", "cited_by": 0, "doi": "10.1371/journal.pone.0360737", "fulltext_url": null, "id": "0zyjpp1sk8dcs", "issns": [ "1932-6203" ], "landing_url": "https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0360737", "language": null, "licence": "CC-BY-4.0", "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0", "licence_source": "journal", "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/", "metadata_licence": null, "native_subjects": [ [ "openalex", "2725|Otolaryngology and Infectious Diseases" ], [ "plos", "/Medicine and health sciences/Clinical medicine/Signs and symptoms/Abscesses" ], [ "plos", "/Medicine and health sciences/Health care/Health economics/Health insurance" ], [ "plos", "/Medicine and health sciences/Health care/Socioeconomic aspects of health" ], [ "plos", "/Medicine and health sciences/Medical conditions/Infectious diseases/Bacterial diseases/Cellulitis" ], [ "plos", "/Medicine and health sciences/Medical conditions/Infectious diseases/Bacterial diseases/Ludwig's angina" ], [ "plos", "/Medicine and health sciences/Oral medicine" ], [ "plos", "/Medicine and health sciences/Public and occupational health/Hygiene" ], [ "plos", "/Medicine and health sciences/Public and occupational health/Socioeconomic aspects of health" ], [ "plos", "/Physical sciences/Chemistry/Chemical compounds/Organic compounds/Alcohols" ], [ "plos", "/Physical sciences/Chemistry/Organic chemistry/Organic compounds/Alcohols" ], [ "plos", "/Social sciences/Economics/Health economics/Health insurance" ] ], "openalex": "W7221557880", "pdf_url": "https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0360737&type=printable", "pmcid": null, "pmid": null, "published": "2026-10-12", "publisher": "Public Library of Science", "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/0zyjpp1sk8dcs.ris", "sources": [ { "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:17:30Z", "native_id": "10.1371/journal.pone.0360737", "source": "plos", "url": "https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0360737" } ], "subjects": [ { "field": "chemistry", "origin": "plos:organic chemistry", "subfield": "organic" }, { "field": "medicine", "origin": "plos:public and occupational health", "subfield": "epidemiology-public-health" }, { "field": "medicine", "origin": "plos:infectious diseases", "subfield": "infectious-disease" } ], "title": "Socioeconomic and clinical factors associated with odontogenic infection types among hospitalised patients in Periurban Ghana", "title_text": "Socioeconomic and clinical factors associated with odontogenic infection types among hospitalised patients in Periurban Ghana", "type": "peer-reviewed", "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:17:30Z", "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/0zyjpp1sk8dcs", "venue": "PLOS One", "versions": [] }