Traumatic Tongue Laceration: An Experience of Two Tertiary Centers in South East Nigeria.

Background: Traumatic injuries to the orofacial region are common and can be challenging to the oral and maxillofacial surgeon. The tongue is one of the structures that can be involved; however, the incidence of this injury to the tongue appears rare. Most of the reported work on this topic is on children. Patients and Methods: This is a three-year prospective study of traumatic tongue lacerations managed at the oral and maxillofacial centers of two tertiary hospitals in the southeast of Nigeria. Result: A total of 37 cases with tongue lacerations among 353 patients with oral and maxillofacial trauma constituting a prevalence of 10.5%. Their age ranged from 6 months to 57 years with a mean of 18.4 years (standard deviation 17.5). Twenty three (62.2%) are males and 14 (37.8%) females in a ratio of 1.6:1. The duration of injury on presentation ranged from 45 minutes to 96 hours with a mean duration of 26.7 hours. Majority of the laceration occurred in the anterior part of the tongue (24) (64.9%). Thirteen falls (35.1%) and nine motor vehicle accidents (24.3%) were the most common etiology. Thirty six (97.3%) were sutured primarily on presentation while only one (2.7%) was delayed before closure. Anesthesia was achieved with only Local Anesthetic agent in 18 (48.6%) cases, whereas in 13 (35.1%) cases a combination of Local Anesthetic agent and sedation. Conclusion: Tongue lacerations are not very common in the southeast of Nigeria, and management in children may require sedation. Treatment could involve suturing the wound or being left alone to heal.

Primary minor salivary gland tumors: A retrospective review of cases seen in a tertiary institution in South East Nigeria.

Background: Tumors of the minor salivary glands (MSGs) are rare. They constitute a wide range of histologic types despite their low frequency. Aim: The aim of this study is to evaluate the clinical and pathological features of 11 different tumors of MSGs presented at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital Ituku-Ozalla, Enugu and to compare them with similar studies done elsewhere. Patients and Method: This is a retrospective study of patients with tumors involving the MSGs seen at the OMFS and ORL clinics, UNTH. Information regarding demographic characteristics, duration at first presentation, types of tumors, site and side affected, and treatment given were recorded in patients' medical records. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 23; qualitative variables were compared using Chi-square test. Result: One hundred and thirty three cases of various lesions involving the salivary gland were seen within the study period. Fifty three (39.8%) patients met the inclusion criteria and are reported further. Twenty eight (28) cases occurred in males. The mean age of the patients was 39.8 years STD 16.5, while the mean duration of the swellings at presentation was 45.5 months STD 35.4. Pleomorphic adenoma was the most common of the 29 (54.7%) benign histopathologic type seen. The soft palate was the commonest site affected 37 (69.8%). Local excision with wide margin was adequate in treating majority of the swellings 40 (75.5%), while 1 (1.9%) case of recurrence was seen within the study period. Conclusion: Tumors involving the MSGs are uncommon; males are mostly affected in our environment.

A Clinical Audit of Histopathologically Diagnosed Ossifying Fibroma of the Jaws in a Nigerian Population.

BACKGROUND: Ossifying fibroma (OF) is a benign tumor of the jaws, which belongs to the group of fibro-osseous lesions, and exhibits slowly progressive growth leading to jaw expansion with well-defined borders. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the clinical and radiological characteristics of OFs and their treatment. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A 5-year retrospective study was done. The case notes of subjects were retrieved, analyzed, and evaluated. Relevant information about patients was categorized into bio-data, clinical, and radiological. The diagnosis of lesion was made histopathologically by the oral pathologist. RESULTS: Forty- five patients' case notes were retrieved and analyzed and the patients' age ranged from 2 to 70 years (mean 29.4 ± 16.9). Majority of the patients (55.5%; P = 0.23) were 10-29 years. There were 16 (35.6%) males and 29 (64.4%) females giving a male: female ratio of 1:1.8 (P = 0.01). The cross-sectional dimension of the tumors measured vertically and horizontally ranges from 1 cm2 to 420 cm2 (mean = 54.7 cm2 ± 82.9). There were 60% in the maxilla and 40% in the mandible (P = 0.014). Most of the lesions (68.9%; P = 0.01) showed patchy opacity and cotton wool appearances. Majority of the lesions were extirpated by enucleation alone (P = 0.01). CONCLUSION: The prevalence of OF among the fibro-osseous lesions was 51.0% while against other benign lesions, it was 16.0%. In conclusion, contrary to most other reports across the globe, this lesion in southeast Nigeria occurred more frequently in the maxilla than mandible.

Clinical evaluation of postoperative fever in patients that had oral and maxillofacial surgery in university of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Ituku-Ozalla, Enugu, Nigeria.

BACKGROUND: Postoperative fever (POF) is often encountered after major oral and maxillofacial surgical procedures. This could become an unwanted complication, requiring detailed clinical evaluation and investigations to determine the cause. AIM: The aim is to determine the major causes of POF in patients that had oral and maxillofacial surgery under general anesthesia at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Ituku/Ozalla, Enugu. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The selected patients were admitted and prepared for surgery. Eight hourly axillary temperature readings were taken from the day of admission till discharge. Necessary samples were collected for laboratory analysis from patients that developed fever after their surgery. RESULTS: The patients consisted of 70 males (64.8%) and 38 females (35.2%) giving a ratio of 1.8:1. The mean age of the patients was 27.15 years (SD 13.1). Of the 108 patients studied, 23 (21.7%) developed fever after their surgery. In majority of the patients, the POF lasted within the first 4 days of surgery. There was a significant relationship between duration of surgery and POF. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that most cases of POF are of early onset and of short duration. The longer the surgery time, the more likely POF will occur.