Chronic odontogenic osteomyelitis and facial actinomycosis of six‐month duration

Introduction: An uncommon association of chronic odontogenic osteomyelitis and an abscess in the right mandibular region with facial actinomycosis of 6 months duration after several short‐term therapy failures is described.

Case presentation: The patient was a 55‐year‐old man with chronic inflammation of the right parotid area of the face. Actinomyces israelii, Fusobacterium nucleatum and Parvimonas micra were isolated from specimens of the subtemporal abscess. Therapy started as clarithromycin and was followed by amoxicillin/clavulanate because of the resistance patterns of co‐infecting F. nucleatum.

Conclusion: In this case of facial actinomycosis, a successful therapeutic outcome involved a prolonged therapy as well as the detection of drug‐resistant co‐existing anaerobic bacteria.