Principles and practice of antibiotic therapy

The oral cavity and surrounding structures harbor an extremely complex array of microorganisms. As a result, when structures become acutely or chronically infected, diseases can present very differently. Surgical and pharmacologic management decisions become equally complex, depending on the source site of the infection and the areas to which it spreads. This article first reviews the various domains of the oral and maxillofacial structures, and then reviews each class of antibiotics, describing how the antibiotics are likely to be used.