[An unusual skin disorder after tooth extraction].

A 72-year-old woman was referred to a department of oral and maxillofacial surgery because of a unilateral skin eruption of the face after extraction of the right first upper molar, a few days earlier. She had been diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia some years before. It appeared to be herpes zoster or'shingles'from the second branch of the trigeminal nerve. Treatment included hospital admission with intravenous antiviral therapy and analgetics. Herpes zoster of the face is a severe infection and requires early treatment. Post herpetic neuralgia is a serious complication of herpes zoster and may adversely affect the quality of life.