2024 ICD-10-CM Diagnosis Code K12.2

Cellulitis and abscess of mouth

ICD-10-CM Code:
K12.2
ICD-10 Code for:
Cellulitis and abscess of mouth
Is Billable?
Yes - Valid for Submission
Chronic Condition Indicator: [1]
Not chronic
Code Navigator:

Code Classification

  • Diseases of the digestive system
    (K00–K95)
    • Diseases of oral cavity and salivary glands
      (K00-K14)
      • Stomatitis and related lesions
        (K12)

K12.2 is a billable diagnosis code used to specify a medical diagnosis of cellulitis and abscess of mouth. The code is valid during the current fiscal year for the submission of HIPAA-covered transactions from October 01, 2023 through September 30, 2024.

Approximate Synonyms

The following clinical terms are approximate synonyms or lay terms that might be used to identify the correct diagnosis code:

  • Abscess of buccal space of mouth
  • Abscess of canine space of mouth
  • Abscess of masticator space of mouth
  • Abscess of oral soft tissue
  • Abscess of oral tissue
  • Abscess of palate
  • Abscess of parotid masseteric region of face
  • Abscess of sublingual space
  • Abscess of submandibular region
  • Abscess of uvula of palate
  • Cellulitis and abscess of neck
  • Cellulitis and abscess of submandibular region
  • Cellulitis of buccal space of mouth
  • Cellulitis of canine space of mouth
  • Cellulitis of floor of mouth
  • Cellulitis of gingiva
  • Cellulitis of masticator space of mouth
  • Cellulitis of neck
  • Cellulitis of neck
  • Cellulitis of neck
  • Cellulitis of oral soft tissues
  • Cellulitis of palate
  • Cellulitis of sublingual space
  • Cellulitis of submandibular region
  • Cellulitis of submental space
  • Fistula of soft palate
  • Infection of masticator space
  • Ludwig's angina
  • Mass of submandibular region
  • Mass of submandibular region
  • Oral fistula
  • Oral sinus
  • Orocutaneous fistula
  • Palatitis
  • Palatitis
  • Uvulitis

Clinical Classification

Clinical CategoryCCSR Category CodeInpatient Default CCSROutpatient Default CCSR
Any dental condition including traumatic injuryDEN001N - Not default inpatient assignment for principal diagnosis or first-listed diagnosis.N - Not default outpatient assignment for principal diagnosis or first-listed diagnosis.
Diseases of mouth; excluding dentalDIG003Y - Yes, default inpatient assignment for principal diagnosis or first-listed diagnosis.Y - Yes, default outpatient assignment for principal diagnosis or first-listed diagnosis.
Nontraumatic dental conditionsDEN002N - Not default inpatient assignment for principal diagnosis or first-listed diagnosis.N - Not default outpatient assignment for principal diagnosis or first-listed diagnosis.

Clinical Information

  • Ludwig's Angina

    severe cellulitis of the submaxillary space with secondary involvement of the perimandibular spaces. it usually results from infection in the lower molar area or from an infection following a penetrating injury to the mouth floor.
  • Oral Fistula

    an abnormal passage within the mouth communicating between two or more anatomical structures.
  • Mouth Floor

    the area of the mouth beneath the tongue.
  • Uvulitis

    inflammation of the uvula.
  • Orocutaneous Fistula

    an abnormal communication between the skin and the oral cavity.

Tabular List of Diseases and Injuries

The following annotation back-references are applicable to this diagnosis code. The Tabular List of Diseases and Injuries is a list of ICD-10-CM codes, organized "head to toe" into chapters and sections with coding notes and guidance for inclusions, exclusions, descriptions and more.


Inclusion Terms

Inclusion Terms
These terms are the conditions for which that code is to be used. The terms may be synonyms of the code title, or, in the case of "other specified" codes, the terms are a list of the various conditions assigned to that code. The inclusion terms are not necessarily exhaustive. Additional terms found only in the Alphabetic Index may also be assigned to a code.
  • Cellulitis of mouth (floor)
  • Submandibular abscess

Type 2 Excludes

Type 2 Excludes
A type 2 excludes note represents "Not included here". An excludes2 note indicates that the condition excluded is not part of the condition represented by the code, but a patient may have both conditions at the same time. When an Excludes2 note appears under a code, it is acceptable to use both the code and the excluded code together, when appropriate.

Index to Diseases and Injuries References

The following annotation back-references for this diagnosis code are found in the injuries and diseases index. The Index to Diseases and Injuries is an alphabetical listing of medical terms, with each term mapped to one or more ICD-10-CM code(s).

Convert K12.2 to ICD-9-CM

  • ICD-9-CM Code: 528.00 - Stomatitis/mucositis NOS
    Approximate Flag - The approximate mapping means there is not an exact match between the ICD-10 and ICD-9 codes and the mapped code is not a precise representation of the original code.
  • ICD-9-CM Code: 528.3 - Cellulitis/abscess mouth
    Approximate Flag - The approximate mapping means there is not an exact match between the ICD-10 and ICD-9 codes and the mapped code is not a precise representation of the original code.
  • ICD-9-CM Code: 682.0 - Cellulitis of face
    Approximate Flag - The approximate mapping means there is not an exact match between the ICD-10 and ICD-9 codes and the mapped code is not a precise representation of the original code.

Patient Education


Abscess

An abscess is a pocket of pus. You can get an abscess almost anywhere in your body. When an area of your body becomes infected, your body's immune system tries to fight the infection. White blood cells go to the infected area, collect within the damaged tissue, and cause inflammation. During this process, pus forms. Pus is a mixture of living and dead white blood cells, germs, and dead tissue.

Bacteria, viruses, parasites and swallowed objects can all lead to abscesses. Skin abscesses are easy to detect. They are red, raised and painful. Abscesses inside your body may not be obvious and can damage organs, including the brain, lungs and others. Treatments include drainage and antibiotics.


[Learn More in MedlinePlus]

Cellulitis

Cellulitis is an infection of the skin and deep underlying tissues. Group A strep (streptococcal) bacteria are the most common cause. The bacteria enter your body when you get an injury such as a bruise, burn, surgical cut, or wound.

Symptoms include:

  • Fever and chills
  • Swollen glands or lymph nodes
  • A rash with painful, red, tender skin. The skin may blister and scab over.

Your health care provider may take a sample or culture from your skin or do a blood test to identify the bacteria causing infection. Treatment is with antibiotics. They may be oral in mild cases, or intravenous (by IV) for more severe cases.


[Learn More in MedlinePlus]

Code History

  • FY 2024 - No Change, effective from 10/1/2023 through 9/30/2024
  • FY 2023 - No Change, effective from 10/1/2022 through 9/30/2023
  • FY 2022 - No Change, effective from 10/1/2021 through 9/30/2022
  • FY 2021 - No Change, effective from 10/1/2020 through 9/30/2021
  • FY 2020 - No Change, effective from 10/1/2019 through 9/30/2020
  • FY 2019 - No Change, effective from 10/1/2018 through 9/30/2019
  • FY 2018 - No Change, effective from 10/1/2017 through 9/30/2018
  • FY 2017 - No Change, effective from 10/1/2016 through 9/30/2017
  • FY 2016 - New Code, effective from 10/1/2015 through 9/30/2016. This was the first year ICD-10-CM was implemented into the HIPAA code set.

Footnotes

[1] Not chronic - A diagnosis code that does not fit the criteria for chronic condition (duration, ongoing medical treatment, and limitations) is considered not chronic. Some codes designated as not chronic are acute conditions. Other diagnosis codes that indicate a possible chronic condition, but for which the duration of the illness is not specified in the code description (i.e., we do not know the condition has lasted 12 months or longer) also are considered not chronic.