Audit of oral and maxillofacial surgical conditions seen at Port Harcourt, Nigeria

BACKGROUND:The worldwide pattern of oral and maxillofacial surgical conditions has been rarely reported despite its significance in head and neck medicine. The Niger Delta region comprises 9 of the 36 states in the Federal Republic of Nigeria. There are scanty reports on oral and maxillofacial surgical diseases from the region despite its 95% contribution to Nigeria's oil-revenue.METHODS:This retrospective survey of oral/maxillofacial surgical cases seen at a referral center in Port Harcourt, a city in the Niger delta region of Nigeria.RESULTS: Between 2000 and 2004, our center offered specialized maxillofacial surgical services to 86 patients coming from 5 states in the Niger delta region. These patients made up 20% of all patients seen at the department within the period. There were 110 indications for surgical interventions. Most were complaints of trauma (46.4%). The rest were tumors and allied lesions (39.0%) and cysts (12.7%). Ratio of male to female patients was 1.7:1 while patients were aged between 9 and 85 years (mean 31.2 years, standard deviation +/- 15.4). Most (n? = ?63, 73%) had surgical treatment while a significant proportion (19%) defaulted. Seventy-nine surgical procedures were performed (69 primary and 10 secondary). Primary procedures included maxillo-mandibular fixation (31.9%) and enucleation of tumor/cyst (17.4%). While our series of 86 cases over 4 years appears low, there is likelihood that oral and maxillofacial surgical conditions are as common in the Niger Delta region as in other parts of Nigeria. There is scarcity of skilled manpower and equipments for the management of oral maxillofacial surgical conditions in the region. Health promotion activities are needed to improve awareness for early diagnosis of these conditions. Also, poverty alleviation measures need to be effective as defaults were often due to inability to pay for treatment. CONCLUSION: In many parts of the Niger Delta region of Nigeria, oral and maxillofacial surgical diseases are not uncommon causes of morbidity. However, many parts of the region lack requisite manpower for prevention and curative health activities. Defaults from hospital treatment were due to preference for traditional (unorthodox) measures and financial inability. Poverty alleviation measures need to be stepped up while the state of medical infrastructure should be enhanced in the region

Maxillofacial sarcomas in Nigeria

Background: Maxillofacial sarcomas are rare constituting between 4-8% of all malignancies in the region. A few case reports of individual tumours are available while reviews of significant series is lacking. This report presents 80 cases of sarcoma collected over 23 years at a tertiary oral care centre in Kaduna, Nigeria. Method: Retrospective study of all maxillofacial sarcomas in northern Nigeria. Results: There were 406 maxillofacial malignancies of which 80 (20%) were sarcomas. Fourteen histopathologic types were found of which osteosarcoma (28%), chondrosarcoma (17%), rhabdomyosarcoma (12%) and fibrosarcoma (12%) were predominant. The male to female ratio was roughly equal (1.3:1). Patients with sarcoma were between 24 days and 90 years old (mean age 31±15 years) with most patients (26%) in the third decade of life. Cases presented with symptoms such as swelling (100%), pain (54%) and tissue ulceration (26%). Surgery was performed for 46% of cases treated while radiotherapy was used for 26%. Some cases refused hospital treatment because of poverty and ignorance while poor medical infrastructure limited treatment options in several cases regarded as advanced lesions. Conclusion: In Northern Nigeria, sarcomas account for 20% of all maxillofacial malignancies with the osteosarcoma as the predominant type. Most affected were people in the third decade of life. Surgery was the main modality used for treatment while some patients had no treatment due to self-discharge and late presentation. The need for improved medical awareness and upgrading of infrastructure was stressed

Report of six cases of metastatic jaw tumours in Nigerians

Background: Metastatic tumours make up approximately one per cent of all oral malignancies. Such tumours may present in the jawbones and oral soft tissues. The commonest oral site is the mandible. Nigerian reports of metastatic tumours to the jaws are very rare. Method: This is a retrospective study of six cases of metastatic tumours to the jaws seen at the Maxillofacial Unit, Ahmadu Bello University Hospital, Kaduna from 1979-1998,representing 1% of all histologically confirmed malignant jaw tumours in the hospital. Results: Unlike in other reports, most (three of our six cases) originated from the thyroid gland while the rest were from the breast, uterus and the nasopharynx. More of our lesions occurred in the mandible (4) than the maxilla (2) and almost all patients presented with oral complaints oblivious of the primary malignancy. These complaints resemble those from odontogenic infections and benign neoplasms. The most common histological type of metastatic tumours in this study was the adenocarcinoma (50%). Conclusion: In view of the similarity in presentation of metastatic lesions to the jaws and other odontogenic tumours and even infections, a high index of clinical suspicion is advocated to ensure early, multidisciplinary care of patients