Unusual oral complications of herpes zoster infection: report of a case and review of literature

Abstract

A case of herpes zoster infection with unusual oral complications involving the mandibular division of the trigeminal nerve is presented. The post-herpetic complications of osteonecrosis, spontaneous exfoliation of teeth, and subsequent pathologic fracture of mandible in the absence of concurrent predisposing factors in a 65-year-old man are demonstrated. Forty-one cases with osteonecrosis and spontaneous exfoliation of teeth previously presented in the literature are reviewed. This is the first report of pathologic fracture after herpes zoster infection.