[Sequestral osteitis with fracture of the mandibular angle occurring secondarily to the extraction of a wisdom tooth. Apropos of a case].

The authors report on a case of sequestrated osteitis complicated by a fracture of the angle of the mandible, following the avulsion of a wisdom tooth in a 20 year old man. The treatment consisted of an intermaxillary fixation of the mandibular arche lasting 40 days accompanied by wide-spectrum antibiotic therapy for 15 days, until such time as the ESR and blood count values returned to normal. In three months resorbtion of the sequestrated necrotic bone and disappearance of the osteitic cavity was noted, all of which was indicative of a satisfactory result. From the aetiological point of view it was possible to confirm by way of a routine X-ray taken 5 days after the extraction that the lesions had developed of their own accord, thus eliminating surgery and trauma as causes. The problem of what causes maxillary osteitis remains, and in particular, the role played by local anaesthetics containing adrenaline.