Odontogenic orbital cellulitis causing blindness: A case report

Blindness secondary to odontogenic orbital cellulitis is a rarity. We report a case of a 38-year-old man who presented with facial swelling and orbital pain. Examination revealed right orbital purulent discharge, nil light perception in the right eye and the presence of a grossly carious ipsilateral maxillary molar. Investigations revealed no underlying systemic condition. Aggressive surgical and medical intervention was instituted, which resulted in disease resolution. However, vision in the right eye was not recovered. Dental infections may lead to blindness; therefore, dental infections should be promptly treated.Keywords: Blindness, odontogenic, orbital celluliti

Gnathic osteosarcoma: An analysis of a single-institutional experience

INTRODUCTION: Osteosarcoma is an aggressive primary bone malignancy characterized by osteoid formation. It typically affects long bones, rarely affecting the jaws. OS of the jaws accounts has an estimated incidence of 0.7 per million. Reports of gnathic osteosarcoma from sub-Saharan Africa are few and to the best of our knowledge there is none from Northwestern Nigeria. This study aims to present our experience with gnathic osteosarcoma in our center. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A review of the records of patients managed on account of histologically diagnosed gnathic osteosarcoma at the Department of Dental and Maxillofacial Surgery, Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital, Sokoto, Nigeria, between March, 2010 and March, 2017 was done. Data were recorded and analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows version 20 (Armonk, NY, USA: IBM Corp.). RESULTS: A total of 431 Oral and Maxillofacial lesions were biopsied during the study period, out of which 17 (3.9%) were histologically diagnosed as osteosarcoma. Majority of the patients presented with a chief complaint of jaw swelling 9 (52.9%). The most frequently encountered histological type was the osteoblastic type 9 (52.9%). High grade tumours constituted 10 (58.8%). The patients were followed up for varying periods and recurrences were observed in 3 cases. Five (29.4%) mortalities were recorded. CONCLUSION: Despite the rarity of gnathic osteosarcomas, they still pose a daunting challenge in Oral and Maxillofacial practice. Patients often present with complaints of facial swelling, bleeding or pain. Late presentation is common in our environment and multi-modal treatment plan is often preferable

A pattern of presentation and management of lip cancer in a tertiary institution in Northwestern Nigeria: A retrospective study

Introduction: The lips just like any other part of the body could be affected ny myriads of diseases including infection and neoplasm. Surgical management of lip cancer is often challenging in both reconstructive options and outcomes. Aims: This study aimed to assess the pattern of presentation and management of lip cancer in Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital Sokoto. Materials and Methods: This was a retrospective study of cases of lip cancer managed at the Department of Dental and Maxillofacial Surgery, Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital Sokoto, northern Nigeria, over 9 years. Data collected included patients' demographics, lip involved, treatment given, and the treatment outcomes data were analyzed using IBM SPSS version 25. Results: Of the 47 cases in the study, 31 (66.0%) were male and 16 (34.0%) were female and the majority of them were aged over 50 years. The range was 43–76 years with a mean of ± standard deviation of 55.06 ± 8.9. There were no statistically significant differences in either age or gender. The lower lip was involved in 41 (87.2%), whereas the upper lip was involved in 6 (12.8%) cases. Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) constituted the majority at 42 (89.4%), which were mostly well differentiated. Of the 6 cases of the lower lip, 4 cases were basal cell carcinoma, 1 case was SCC, and the remaining 1 case was sebaceous carcinoma. A total of 38 (80.9%) patients were surgically treated, and the remaining 9 (19.1%), were referred to the oncology department. Of the various options available in the literature for lip reconstruction after tumor excision, nasolabial flap 17 (44.7%) was the most frequently used in our cases, and the outcome of all the surgeries was found satisfactory. Conclusion: Lip cancer is a relatively common cancer in the orofacial region, and the majority is SCC. All the cases of basal cell carcinoma occur in the upper lip. Several options are available for the reconstruction of the lip defect after resection, with the nasolabial flap being a versatile option