Osteomyelitis of Maxilla: A Rare Case

Osteomyelitis was relatively common before the era of antibiotic therapy. Today osteomyelitis of facial bones is a rare condition. Maxillary osteomyelitis is rare compared to mandible osteomyelitis because extensive blood supply & strut like bone of the maxilla make it less prone to chronic infection. We report a rare case of Osteomyelitis involving whole of the Maxilla in a 50 year old male patient, diabetic and hypertensive for the past 10 years. He presented to us with an oro-antral fistula following dental extraction with offensive odour from the nose. Examination revealed a necrotic maxilla and hard palate on right side. A computerized tomography scan confirmed Osteomyelitis of right Maxilla with Klebsiella species isolated on culture. Patient underwent complete surgical excision with prosthesis reconstruction. Excellent results were obtained with appropriate antibiotics, strict diabetic control followed by complete surgical excision and prosthesis reconstruction. Adult Osteomyelitis remains one of the most difficult-to-treat infectious diseases, with considerable morbidity and costs to the health care system. Osteomyelitis is now such a rare entity that when presented, the possibility of underlying pathology should be considered and appropriately investigated for.