Ludwig’s angina

Injury	Disease	Nutrition	Poison

Symptoms	Surgery	Test	Special Topic

Oropharynx

Overview

Symptoms

Treatment

Prevention

Ludwig’s angina

Definition:

Ludwig's angina is a bacterial infection of the floor of the mouth. It involves swelling that may block the airway.

Alternative Names:

Submandibular space infection; Sublingual space infection

Causes, incidence, and risk factors:

Ludwig's angina is a type of cellulitis that involves inflammation of the tissues of the floor of the mouth, under the tongue. It often occurs following an infection of the roots of the teeth (such as tooth abscess) or after a mouth injury. Swelling of the tissues occurs rapidly and may block the airway or prevent swallowing of saliva. This condition is uncommon in children.

Review Date: 6/15/2005
Reviewed By: Monica Gandhi, MD, MPH, Assistant Professor, Division of Infectious Diseases, UCSF, San Francisco, CA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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