Invasive fungal infection of the maxilla following dental extractions in a patient with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

We report on a 74-year-old male patient with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) who developed an invasive fungal disease of the facial bones after several teeth were extracted. He had recently suffered an exacerbation of COPD, treated with a course of corticosteroid therapy. Mucormycosis is an opportunistic fungal pathogen that has the ability to cause significant morbidity and frequently mortality in the susceptible patient. An overview of this class of pathogens and the history, examination findings (clinical and radiographic), pathogenesis and medical-surgical treatment of mucormycosis is presented.