Herpes Zoster of the Maxillary Division of the Trigeminal Nerve Presenting as Endodontic Post-treatment Pain: Case Report and Review of the Literature
Originally at sciencedirect.com
Summary & scoring by The Bell Brief (Dr. Jennifer Bell) using the Drill-Down Protocol (Drill-Down Score) — not the original publisher.
Why it matters for dental
Endodontists and general dentists must recognize herpes zoster (shingles) reactivation in the maxillary trigeminal division as a possible cause of persistent post-endodontic pain to avoid unnecessary retreatment or extraction.
Key points
- Case report details maxillary-division zoster mimicking symptomatic apical periodontitis after root canal therapy.
- Literature review indicates 1–2 % of orofacial zoster cases initially present to dental offices with tooth-level pain.
- Early antiviral therapy (within 72 h of vesicle onset) reduces post-herpetic neuralgia risk; delayed diagnosis prolongs patient suffering.
- Authors recommend including zoster in the differential for unilateral maxillary pain that crosses multiple teeth or dermatomes, especially in patients over 50 or immunocompromised.
Who should care
Read the original on Journal of Endodontics
Full reporting and any paywall content live on sciencedirect.com. We summarize and score; we do not republish.
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