Start practicing

Oral Surgery · single question

The upper-face infection above presents as a diffuse, spreading, ill-defined swelling with no localized pus collection. What is this lesion called?

  1. A well-localized abscess
  2. Cellulitis
  3. A mucocele
  4. Ludwig's angina
Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: B. Cellulitis

  • A. An abscess is a LOCALIZED, fluctuant collection of pus with defined borders — the opposite of the diffuse picture described.
  • B. Correct. Cellulitis is a diffuse, spreading, often firm/indurated infection of the soft tissues without a defined pocket of pus. Its spreading nature is exactly why proximity to the eye is dangerous.
  • C. A mucocele is a benign salivary mucus-retention swelling (commonly lower lip), not an infection.
  • D. Ludwig's angina is a specific bilateral cellulitis of the submandibular/sublingual/submental spaces of the FLOOR OF THE MOUTH, not the upper face.

Practice Oral Surgery questions Oral Surgery study notes

More Oral Surgery practice questions