2020 Volume 33 Issue 1 Pages 39-43
It is well known that one of the causes of deep neck abscesses is an odontogenic infection. However, temporal abscesses are rarely caused by an odontogenic infection. Here we report a rare case of a 63-year-old female with a temporal and infratemporal fossa abscess that was caused by dental infection. She had a left temporal headache, jaw-opening pain and trismus. Enhanced computed tomography findings showed an abscess in the left side of the head, and revealed a radiolucent shadow in the left fifth tooth of the mandible. We diagnosed a left temporal and infratemporal fossa abscess caused by periodontitis. We performed surgical drainage of the incision on the left temporal region and she received an antibiotics medication. CT findings showed the abscess had improved in the temporal and infratemporal fossa. After 14 days she was discharged. It is important to perform adequate abscess drainage. The otolaryngologist should be aware that temporal and infratemporal fossa abscesses may be caused by an odontogenic infection.
