Actinomycosis of periodontium, mimicking gingival enlargement – A case report and its management

Abstract

Gingival abscess is a localized, acute inflammatory lesion which is caused by various factors that include microbial plaque infection, foreign body impaction, and trauma. Management includes a simple incision and draining of the purulent exudate along with systemic antibiotics in most of the cases. This article reports a case of a 16-year-old female patient, with a chief complaint of painful and swollen gums in her lower right front tooth region of the jaw along with fever for the past 5 days. Emergency treatment of abscess drainage was done on day 1. On 5^th day of review, the case presented with persistent signs of gingival inflammation in relation to 43 to 41. Considering the provisional diagnosis as dentigerous cyst with persistent gingival abscess, definitive treatment was performed by transalveolar extraction of the impacted canine and debridement of the osseous lesion. The histologic analysis of the lesion exhibited foci of eosinophilic coagulum-like areas with epicentric and radiating filamentous appearance at the periphery, which is suggestive of an inflamed dentigerous cyst with actinomycosis infection of periodontium.