A clinical and microbiological study of actinomycetes in oral and cervicofacial lesions

A retrospective study of the incidence of cervicofacial actinomycosis in patients attending the Liverpool Dental Hospital from 1980-1983 was undertaken. A total of 86 patients were found which were divisable into three distinct presentations: acute painful swellings with a duration of less than 1 month; chronic long-standing infections, duration greater than 3 months; unsuspected microbiologically-proven actinomycotic lesions. A prospective study from 1983-1986 also was divisable into three similar types of presentations. The most common presentation in both parts of the study was acute painful swellings associated with soft tissue abscesses secondary to dental lesions. Clinicians dealing with acute dentally-associated swellings should consider the possibility of actinomycosis as a possible diagnosis.