An odontogenic cutaneous sinus tract in an unusual site with multiple misdiagnoses

Abstract

Key Clinical Message Dental clinicians and physicians should be careful in differential diagnosis of facial cutaneous nodules, since they might have an odontogenic origin. Odontogenic cutaneous sinus tracts are commonly misdiagnosed and mismanaged; thus, they are prone to recurrence. Herein, a 21‐year‐old female patient is reported with a red fluctuant nodule on her right cheek which had been misdiagnosed as an epidermoid cyst, cystic acne, and parotid gland fistula. The odontogenic origin of the lesion was first suspected when the patient presented to the Department of Endodontics, Faculty of Dentistry for a routine dental check‐up. Multiple‐visit non‐surgical root canal retreatment of the maxillary right first molar, without any additional treatment, resulted in shrinkage of the lesion. After 1 year, the lesion was resolved completely, the respective tooth and the cheek were asymptomatic, and the patient had no complaint.

Keywords

• cutaneous sinus tract
• misdiagnosis
• odontogenic sinus tract
• root canal therapy