An unusual manifestation of actinomycosis infection of the maxilla.

Postoperative actinomycosis infection caused by Actinomyces israelii is uncommon. Cervicofacial actinomycosis may appear as an opportunistc infection in the oral cavity. Initial diagnosis of this condition is difficult after oral surgery and the condition often is mistaken for more common odontogenic infections. Actinomycosis responds to antibiotic therapy but the condition recurs after therapy is discontinued. This article presents an unusual case of postsurgical actinomycosis that manifested in the cheek and appeared to be unrelated to the surgical extraction of an impacted maxillary third molar that had occurred one year earlier. The organism was sampled under anaerobic conditions, isolated, and diagnosed by Gram's stain and culture tests. The condition was cured after extraoral surgical drainage, debridement, and several months of oral antibiotic administration.