Osteomyelitis and Pathologic Fracture of Mandible in Undiagnosed Osteopetrosis.

Abstract

Osteopetrosis (OP) is a heterogeneous group of rare, heredity bone disorders with variable clinical features involving the bones of the body. OP is characterized by increased bone density, which is caused by aberrant osteoclast-mediated bone resorption. This syndromic disorder comes with a series of problems and, unless recognized and treated early, can lead to a multitude of further grave complications. We report a rare case of a female patient who reported chronic unhealed extraoral draining sinus present over the left submandibular region with pathologic fracture of the left mandibular angle, which, if, was diagnosed early with the identification of the osteopetrosis syndrome, could have been managed more conservatively.