CLINICAL CASES   

Rivista Italiana di Chirurgia Maxillo-Facciale 2003 April;14(1):43-6

Copyright © 2004 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

language: English

Temporal necrotizing infection of dental origin

Gerbino G., Tavolaccini A., Griffa A.

Department of Maxillo-Facial Surgery San Giovanni Battista Hospital, Turin, Italy

Necrotizing fas­ciitis is a ­severe bac­te­ri­al infec­tion of ­soft tis­sues char­ac­ter­ized by necro­sis of sub­cu­ta­ne­ous tis­sue, spread­ing rap­id­ly ­along ­the ana­tom­ic fas­cial ­planes. Necrotizing fas­ciitis of den­tal ori­gin is uncom­mon in ­the ­neck ­and ­head ­region ­and usu­al­ly orig­i­nates ­from ­the 2nd or 3rd ­molar. It is char­ac­ter­ized by throm­bo­sis of ­the ves­sels of ­the der­mo-epi­der­mis, ­with con­se­quent cuta­ne­ous ­pain, pro­gress­ing to tis­sue necro­sis. The ­authors ­describe a diag­no­sis ­and treat­ment of a ­case of necro­tiz­ing fas­ciitis of den­tal ori­gin ­which pro­gressed ­from ­the ­mouth as ­far as ­the infra­tem­po­ral ­and tem­po­ral fos­sae.