Radiographic study of the mental foramen in a selected Saudi population.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the most common position of the mental foramen in a selected Saudi population and to compare the results with those reported for other populations. METHODS: Four hundred and fourteen panoramic radiographs of a Saudi population from four different dental centres were studied. RESULTS: The commonest position of the mental foramen was in line with the longitudinal axis of the second premolar (45.3%) followed closely by location between the first and second premolars (42.7%). The mental foramen was symmetrical in 80% of patients. CONCLUSION: Clinicians should expect to find the position of the mental foramen to be symmetrical and in line with the second premolar teeth.

Maxillomandibular deformity in association with Poland anomaly.

A case of jaw deformity in association with right-sided Poland anomaly in an 18-year-old male patient is presented. As there have been no cases previously reported of pectoralis major muscle hypoplasia combined with dentofacial deformity, it is hoped that other reports would emerge to describe a new syndrome.

An unusual radiopaque image through an orthopantomogram film.

Surgical gauze left in the operative site after surgery may be responsible for bizarre and varied complications. The patient may remain asymptomatic for months or years or may suffer serious or even life-threatening consequences. Such cases can create a difficult diagnostic image and are seldom reported because of medicolegal implications. Diagnosis may sometimes be confusing and difficult especially when the history is misleading.

Burkitt's lymphoma of the jaws in Lagos. Ten-year review.

This paper presents a review of Burkitt's lymphoma of the jaws seen at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital. The debate on certain aspects of the disease, particularly the pathogenesis, has also been reviewed, while the experience gained in the management has been included.

Congenital ankylosis of the mandible. Report of a case noted at birth.

A rare case of true congenital ankylosis of the mandible to the maxilla, noticed at birth without any associated deformity, is presented. The child was initially kept alive by nasogastric tube feeding and proper oral feeding was established later by bilateral coronoidectomy to release the ankylosis. The pathogenesis of congenital ankylosis is also discussed.

Odontogenic carcinoma with dentinoid.

An unusual case of odontogenic carcinoma with dentinoid is presented and discussed. This case is the first reported to show this peculiar histologic picture. The lesion recurred following what was deemed adequate surgical excision from both the clinical and histologic viewpoints. Adequate therapy and follow-up for such lesions is thus stressed.

Malnutrition and the oral health of children in Ogbomosho, Nigeria.

Fifty-two Nigerian children, forty-five of whom were severely malnourished were examined to ascertain their level of oral health. Enamel hypoplasia, dental caries, gingivitis and periodontitis were given special attention in this study, and each of these disorders was found to be more frequently seen in the malnourished child. In a followup study of the malnourished children treated at the Baptist nutritional center there was improvement in the children's oral health, manifested by improvement of their gingivitis and periodontitis as the child's nutritional level and general health improved. Other oral findings were noted and recorded, including two patients with cancrum oris (noma) and others with angular chelitis, cleft palate, fungal infections, and a peculiar intrinsic black stain of the teeth, among others.

Unusually rapid bone regeneration following mandibular resection.

Two cases of unusually rapid and extensive bone regeneration are presented. Heterotopic bone formation in small deposits has often been reported in the literature, but bone regeneration extending over a distance of one half of the mandible in a period of six months is extremely rare. Both patients were young and had had a resection performed for benign lesions which were infected at the time of operation. Preservation of periosteum, coupled with the age of the patients, possible genetic factors and infection may play important roles in rapid bone regeneration.