[Lingual abscess with atypical clinical presentation]

Lingual abscesses have become extremely rare since the discovery of antibiotics, with only about 200 cases reported in the last 160 years. Diagnosis on the basis of clinical symptoms alone is quite difficult. Imaging studies are essential for the diagnosis of lingual abscesses and for their differentiation from related pathologies with similar clinical symptoms. We report a case of lingual abscess with otherwise unremarkable clinical findings that was diagnosed by CT scan. The etiology, pathophysiology, bacteriology, diagnosis, and treatment of these uncommon infections is discussed.