A cutaneous sinus of dental origin is where a

dental infection An odontogenic infection is an infection that originates within a tooth or in the closely surrounding tissues. The term is derived from ''wikt:odonto-, odonto-'' (Ancient Greek: , – 'tooth') and ''wikt:-genic, -genic'' (Ancient Greek: , ; – ' ...

drains onto the surface of the skin of the face or neck. This is uncommon as usually dental infections drain into the mouth, typically forming a

parulis Intraoral dental sinus (also termed a parulis and commonly, a gumboil) is an oral lesion characterized by a soft erythematous papule (red spot) that develops on the alveolar process in association with a non-vital tooth and accompanying dental abs ...

("gumboil"). Cutaneous sinuses of dental origin tend to occur under the chin or

mandible In anatomy, the mandible, lower jaw or jawbone is the largest, strongest and lowest bone in the human facial skeleton. It forms the lower jaw and holds the lower tooth, teeth in place. The mandible sits beneath the maxilla. It is the only movabl ...

. Without elimination of the source of the infection, the lesion tends to have a relapsing and remitting course, with healing periods and periods of purulent discharge. Cutaneous sinus tracts may result in

fibrosis Fibrosis, also known as fibrotic scarring, is a pathological wound healing in which connective tissue replaces normal parenchymal tissue to the extent that it goes unchecked, leading to considerable tissue remodelling and the formation of perma ...

and scarring which may cause cosmetic concern. Sometimes minor surgery is carried out to remove the residual lesion.

References

Conditions of the mucous membranes Diseases of oral cavity, salivary glands and jaws {{Cutaneous-condition-stub