Rare involvement of herpes zoster in the mandibular branch of the trigeminal nerve: A case report and review of the literature

Herpes zoster (HZ) infections rarely affect the mandibular branches of the trigeminal nerve. When the mandibular branches are involved, lesions may appear on the face, in the mouth, in the eye, or on the tongue. Additionally, this condition may be associated with devitalized teeth, internal resorption and spontaneous exfoliation of the teeth, and osteomyelitis of the alveolar bone. In this paper, the treatment of a case HZ of the mandibular branch of the trigeminal nerve is reported, and 22 articles on HZ cases with involvement of the mandibular branch are reviewed. This is the first literature review of HZ cases involving only the mandibular branch of the trigeminal nerve. Keywords: herpes zoster, mandible, trigeminal third branch