Cerebral abscess caused by odontogenic infection: a case report and literature review

<title>Abstract</title> <p>Background Brain abscesses of odontogenic origin are rare but potentially life‑threatening and require urgent multidisciplinary management. Maxillary osteitis of dental origin is an especially uncommon etiology. Case presentation: We report a 45‑year‑old Tunisian man with severe right‑sided maxillary pain and progressive headache who was found to have a right temporal brain abscess secondary to maxillary osteitis following extraction of mobile maxillary molars. He underwent dental extractions and debridement, intravenous antibiotics, neurosurgical drainage via parietal burr‑hole trepanation, and later prosthetic closure of a persistent oroantral communication. Bacteriology identified Staphylococcus aureus. Clinical and radiological follow‑up at 1 and 3 months showed favorable evolution. Conclusion This case highlights that persistent cranial pain and altered consciousness after dental infection should prompt urgent neuroimaging. Early eradication of the dental focus and coordinated dental–neurosurgical care are essential to reduce morbidity and mortality.</p>