A review of 156 Odontogenic Tumours in Calabar; Nigeria

Background: Odontogenic tumours occur in our environment and because of late treatment; cause considerable disabilities. Objective: To review cases of odontogenic tumours in our centre in order to obtain a baseline data and subsequently compare the results with that obtained elsewhere. Patients and methods: Using hospital case files and register; we carried out a 15-year retrospective study of odontogenic tumours at the Dental and Maxillofacial Clinic; University of Calabar Teaching Hospital; Nigeria. The data documented include age; gender; duration of lesion; type of tumour; socio-economic class; type of surgery; and complaints during follow-up reviews. Results: Majority of the patients (n=49; 31.4) were in the third decade of life. There were 85 (54.5) males and 71 (45.5) females; giving male to female ratio of 1.2:1. There was a significant association between the type of odontogenic tumour and the age of occurrence (p=0.000). The longer the duration of symptoms before presentation; the larger the tumours (p=0.000). The benign odontogenic tumours were 151 (96.8); ameloblastoma (n=74; 47.4) being the commonest. Jaw resection (54.5) was the predominant treatment. Majority (58.0) of the complications following treatment were Facial deformity; malocclusion and impaired mastication. Conclusion: Majority of the patients was in the lower socio-economic class; presented late for treatment and a few with aesthetic and functional impairment returned for secondary surgery. The intervention of agencies of government and non-governmental organizations is required to assist these patients if we are to accomplish the core healthcare system values in our environment

Survey of the Reasons for Dental Extraction in Eastern Nigeria

Extraction of teeth is the commonest surgical procedure carried out in the dental surgery setting. Aim: The purpose of this survey was to identify the causes of teeth extraction in Eastern Nigeria. Subjects and Methods: Record forms for entering data and a self-addressed return envelope were distributed to 100 dental surgeons in Eastern Nigeria using a simple random selection. Results: Seventy-one (71; 71/100) dentists responded to the request and the total extractions carried out were 3998. There were 1508 (37.7) extractions in males and 2490 (62.3) in females with male-to-female extraction ratio of 1:1.7. In both male and female gender; there were more teeth extractions between the ages of 11 and 30 years. Extractions were recorded more in the lower social class (47.6; 1903/3998). There were more extractions in the permanent (85.0 ; 3398/3998) than deciduous (15.0 ; 3398/3998) than deciduous (15.0; 600/3998). The commonest reasons for teeth extraction were caries (55.2; 2208/3998). Conclusion: The result of this study shows that dental caries is the commonest reason for tooth extraction in Eastern Nigeria. It is hoped that the study will facilitate the development of treatment and preventive procedures relevant to the problems observed in this part of Nigeria; thus minimizing the loss of teeth and its expected adverse consequences

Aetiological Factors for Mandibular Fractures Seen in the University of CalabarTeaching Hospital; Calabar; South-South Nigeria

The objective of this study was to determine prospectively the common aetiological factors leading to fractures of the mandible in patients seen in the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital (UCTH); Calabar; Nigeria. A total 252 patients with fractures of the facial skeleton were seen out of which 174 (69) presented with mandibular fractures over a period of two years. Road traffic accidents; both vehicular road and traffic accidents (VRTA) and Motorcycle road traffic accidents (MRTA) were the commonest cause (79.9) of mandibular fractures with MRTA accounting for 36.2of total and 45.3of all the RTS's followed by assault; sporting events; falls from heights; gun shot and industrial accidents. Majority of the patients were males 142 (81.6) with fewer females 32 (18.4) giving a male-female ratio of 4.4:1. Most of the patients were aged between 21 and 30 years. Government should ban use of motorcycle as a means of commercial transportation and make more motor vehicles available for this purpose

Civilian Gunshot injuries to the Oro-facial region in Calabar, South-South Nigeria, 2002-2006

This article reviews 16 cases of civilian gunshot injuries of the oro-facial region seen at University of Calabar Teaching Hospital, Calabar over a 5-year period and highlights the rising trend in the occurrence of gun shot injuries to the orofacial region as experienced in the south-south region of Nigeria. Records of 16 patients with different types of gunshot injuries to the oro-facial region seen and treated at the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital, Calabar between 2002 and 2006 were reviewed. The focus was on the patient's age, gender, type of weapons used, the surrounding circumstances (accidental or intentional), the time of occurrence and management. Out of 16 patients seen, 14 (87.5%) were males and 2 (12.5%) were females, giving a male to female ratio of 7:1, with the age range from 18 to 50 years. Thirteen (81.3%) of the patients were injured by low velocity missile while 3 (18.7%) by high velocity missile. Violence was responsible for 14 cases (81.7%), and 2 cases (18.3%) was due to the accidental discharge. This study has shown an increasing occurrence of gunshot injuries to the oro-facial region in our environment with males more affected than females. With the changing political situation, social advancement and urbanization, there is a need to regulate the influx of deadly weapons in the country by the relevant agencies. Maxillofacial surgeons should also brace up to the new development as this poses a new kind of challenge to our knowledge of trauma management