Actinomycosis which Impersonates Malignancy

Actinomycosis is a suppurative and often chronic bacterial infection most commonly caused by Actinomyces israelii. Actinomycotic infections may mimic more common oral diseases or present in a similar way to malignant disease. Treatment of actinomycosis involves surgical removal of the infected tissue and appropriate antibiotic therapy to eliminate the infection. Rarely seen in day-to-day dental practice, actinomycosis of the oral cavity is a highly significant condition due to its aggressive and locally destructive nature. We report a case of actinomycosis leading to extensive destruction and sequestration of the maxillary bone and deviation of the nasal septum, affecting a patient who complained of an unhealed extraction socket, chronic halitosis, and exposure of the bone with gingival recession crossing the midline.