Which two conditions may be present in Early Aggressive ECC?

• A. Pain and sensitivity
• B. Bleeding gums
• C. Abscesses and fistulae
• D. Pitting and roughness

Answer: (C)

Early Aggressive ECC progresses very quickly, often reaching the pulp early. When decay invades the pulp and infection spreads, the body can form an abscess and a drainage tract to the mouth, known as a fistula. Seeing abscess formation along with a fistula indicates that the infection has advanced and drained through the surrounding tissues, a pattern that fits this aggressive form of ECC. Pain and sensitivity can occur with caries, but they are less specific to this rapid, infection-driven presentation. Bleeding gums and surface pitting or roughness aren’t characteristic signs of this pattern, whereas abscesses with fistulae directly reflect the infectious consequences of early, aggressive decay.