Moxifloxacin Versus Clindamycin in the Management of Odontogenic Maxillofacial Infectious Processes

Inclusion criteria

• Patients aged 18 years and above of either gender presenting to the Outpatient Department of the Nishtar Institute of Dentistry, Department of Maxillofacial Surgery.
• Clinical and radiographic diagnosis of an odontogenic maxillofacial infection - gingival inflammatory infiltrate or a localized abscess/cellulitis (ICD-10: K04, K05) - manageable on an outpatient basis with minor office-based surgical drainage (incision/drainage, extraction, or trepanation under local anaesthesia) and adjunctive oral antibiotic therapy, not requiring hospital admission.
• Patients providing written informed consent for participation.

Exclusion criteria

• Known hypersensitivity to fluoroquinolones, lincosamides, or cephalosporins.
• Pregnant or lactating women.
• Patients with diabetes mellitus, known HIV infection, hepatic dysfunction, or renal impairment (creatinine clearance < 50 mL/min).
• Patients with known cardiac arrhythmia, bradycardia, electrolyte imbalance (particularly hypokalaemia), or a history of tendinopathy related to quinolone use.
• Patients with signs of a severe or spreading systemic infection (e.g., extensive facial/neck swelling, trismus, dysphagia, or high-grade fever) requiring hospital admission, intravenous antibiotics, or extraoral surgical drainage under general anaesthesia.
• Patients who received systemic antibiotic therapy within the preceding 7 days.