Tuberculosis of the maxillary sinus masquerading as a facial abscess, a unique occurrence

The incidence of tuberculosis is a frequent finding especially in developing countries owing to a significant population of the people belonging to the lower socioeconomic strata with poor hygiene and nutrition. Tubercular involvement of the paranasal sinuses is usually asymptomatic until it reaches an advanced state and when it involves the maxillary sinus, this initial period of quiescence often mimics the clinical presentation of a chronic sinus infection, which often leads to a diagnostic dilemma. Symptoms commonly reported are chronic sinusitis and rhinorrhea, both of which being nonspecific in nature leading to a quandary. We herewith present a 50-year-old patient who presented with symptoms of an odontogenic infection involving the right maxillary molars. Primary management did not yield to the resolution of presenting symptoms. On biopsy, through an endoscopic approach and subsequent histopathological examination, the diagnosis of tuberculosis was arrived at. The patient responded well to antitubercular drug therapy.