Garre's osteomyelitis of an unusual origin in a 8-year-old child. A case report

Garre's osteomyelitis is a type of chronic osteomyelitis that primarily affects children and adolescents. Although the disease is well described in the dental literature and is usually associated with an odontogenic infection resulting from caries, a number of other causative factors have been occasionally reported, such as a dental extraction or a mild periodontitis. There have also been cases of unknown aetiology. This paper describes a case of Garre's osteomyelitis in an 8-year-old child, in whom the condition arose following a local periodontal infection in an ectopically erupting first permanent molar that was in infraocclusion. The lesion remained unresolved for a period of over 6 months as a result of misdiagnosis, following a number of unsuccessful treatment attempts. Identification of the true cause and treatment through periodontal surgery resulted in lesion resolution and resolved the diagnostic problem. Dentists should be aware that the periodontium may be a potential source of infection for Garre's osteomyelitis in children, particularly in the presence of ectopically erupting posterior teeth. In such cases, periodontal treatment should be sufficient to treat the disease and extraction of the tooth involved may not be necessary.