Bilateral blindness in a patient with temporal arteritis after wisdom tooth extraction

A 78-year-old woman reported pain in her right hemiface (middle and upper portions) together with nuchal headache, some days after upper right wisdom tooth extraction. She was treated with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs by her dentist. Three weeks later, a localized headache over her right superficial temporal artery was reported, and progressive bilateral blindness appeared. A biopsy showed a late stage of temporal arteritis. All the symptoms disappeared following corticosteroid treatment, except blindness. The possible complications linking oral bacteria and extraoral infections and diseases should always be attentively considered during the clinical management of fragile patients.