Case analysis and systematic review of aspergilloma

Among various fungal pathogens, Aspergillus fumigatus is the most prevalent human pathogen reported to cause human disease such as aspergilloma or aspergillosis. Aspergillomas are commonly seen in a poorly drained and avascular cavitary space which evokes an inflammatory reaction. Most commonly involving paranasal sinuses especially maxillary sinus. For the past 2 decades incidence of aspergillosis has increased substantially. The main objective of this systematic review was to evaluate the cases reported to be aspergilloma of maxillary sinus and to determine the percentage of cases involving aspergilloma of maxillary sinus in healthy individuals. After the final full text review, 16 articles were included in this systematic review. Data were extracted from the full text articles and reviewed and extracted content. About 83% had a history of dental procedures, with 42% of those being due to infection from previous extraction sockets and 41% due to RCT. About 43% of the patients in this study were immunocompromised, while 56% were healthy and had no known predisposing conditions. The aspergillus fungal infections affecting the paranasal sinuses are common which can affect apparently healthy as well as immunocompromised individuals. Aspergilloma is the most common fungal infection involving maxillary sinus with iatrogenic dentogenic factors being the most predominant factor for the initiation and progression of aspergillus fungal infection. About 43% of the patients in this review were immunocompromised patients whereas 56% of the patients were healthy without any known predisposing conditions. The progression and prognosis of these diseases depends on the location and immunologic status of the patient. So, it is very important for the dentists to be more cautious while performing any dental procedures so as not to initiate any iatrogenic infections.