Osteomyelitis of the hard palate secondary to actinomycosis: a case report

Osteomyelitis of the hard palate is a rare and difficult-to-eradicate sequela of actinomycosis. In this case report, we illustrate the necessity of aggressive surgical management of actinomycotic infection of the hard palate. The patient was initially treated with multiple local debridements supplemented with oral and then parenteral antibiotics, but his disease progressively worsened. His condition eventually resolved only after a partial palatectomy was performed to remove all the necrotic bone, followed by a prolonged course of intravenous and oral antibiotic treatment.