Oral maxillofacial neoplasms in an East African population a 10 year retrospective study of 1863 cases using histopathological reports

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Neoplasms of the oral maxillofacial area are an interesting entity characterized by differences in nomenclature and classification at different centers.</p> <p>We report neoplastic histopathological diagnoses seen at the departments of oral maxillofacial surgery of Muhimbili and Mulago referral hospitals in Tanzania and Uganda respectively over a 10-year period.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We retrieved histopathological reports archived at the departments of oral maxillofacial surgery of Muhimbili and Mulago referral hospitals in Tanzania and Uganda respectively over a 10-year period from June 1989–July 1999.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>In the period between June 1989 and July 1999, 565 and 1298 neoplastic oro-facial cases were retrieved of which 284 (50.53%) and 967 (74.54%) were malignant neoplasms at Muhimbili and Mulago hospitals respectively. Overall 67.28% of the diagnoses recorded were malignant with Kaposi's sarcoma (21.98%), Burkiits lymphoma (20.45%), and squamous cell carcinoma (15.22%) dominating that group while ameloblastoma (9.23%), fibromas (7.3%) and pleomorphic adenoma (4.95%) dominated the benign group.</p> <p>The high frequency of malignancies could be due to inclusion criteria and the clinical practice of selective histopathology investigation. However, it may also be due to higher chances of referrals in case of malignancies.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>There is need to reexamine the slides in these two centers in order to bring them in line with the most recent WHO classification so as to allow for comparison with reports from else where.</p

Summary of: Trigeminal nerve injuries in relation to the local anaesthesia in mandibular injections

Objective This study reports the signs and symptoms that are the features of trigeminal nerve injuries caused by local anaesthesia (LA). Methods Thirty-three patients with nerve injury following LA were assessed. All data were analysed using the SPSS statistical programme and Microsoft Excel. Results Lingual nerve injury (LNI; n = 16) and inferior alveolar nerve injury (IANI; n = 17) patients were studied. LNI were more likely to be permanent. Neuropathy was demonstrable in all patients with varying degrees of paraesthesia, dysaesthesia (in the form of burning pain) allodynia and hyperalgesia. All injuries were unilateral. A significantly greater proportion of LNI patients (75%) had received multiple injections, in comparison to IANI patients (41%) (p &lt;0.05). Fifty percent of patients with LNI reported pain on injection. The presenting signs and symptoms of both LNI and IANI included pain. These symptoms of neuropathy were constant in 88% of the IANI group and in 44% of LNI patients. Functional difficulties were different between the LNI and IANI groups, a key difference being the presence of severely altered taste perception in nine patients with LA-induced LNI. Conclusions Chronic pain is often a symptom after local anaesthetic-induced nerve injury. Patients in the study population with lingual nerve injury were significantly more likely to have received multiple injections compared to those with IANI