Cervicofacial actinomycosis of the mandible in a paediatric patient

Abstract

Cervicofacial actinomycosis remains a rare pathogenic finding in the paediatric population. Diagnosis is challenging, as findings are often non-specific andActinomycesspecies are generally difficult to culture. Treatment is a prolonged course of antibiotics, either intravenous and oral, often combined with a surgical procedure to remove the lesion. This patient had non-specific intermittent left mandibular pain for 8 months that was eventually attributed to anActinomyces odontolyticusinfection in the mandible. Diagnosis required incisional biopsy, and treatment involved 12 months of oral antibiotics.