Association of dental foci of infection and rosacea: a case report.

Rosacea, a chronic inflammatory disease of the skin, is characterized by rash, pustules, papules, and dilated blood vessels. The etiology is unknown, and the disease is more common among women than among men. Among the proposed causes of this disorder are dental foci of infection, with periapical lesions the most common pathologic lesion in the alveolar bone. The aim of this report is to examine the possible relationship between periapical lesions as dental foci and rosacea. A 50-year-old woman reported redness in her face, for which she had been treated by a gastroenterologist for Helicobacter pylori and a dermatologist for rosacea. After clinical, radiographic, and laboratory examinations, suspicions of dental foci were raised. The residual roots of teeth 4, 5, 12, 15, and 18 were extracted, and teeth 16, 29, and 31 underwent endodontic treatment. One year after dental treatment, all signs of redness in the patient's face had healed, she stopped all treatments, and her laboratory values were normal.