Pattern of odontogenic tumours in Nigeria: a review of the literature

Abstract

Objective: Odontogenic tumours are lesions derived from the epithelial and/ or mesenchymal remnants of the tooth-forming apparatus. Various authors from different centres in Nigeria have at different times reported their experiences of the prevalence, clinical presentation and management of odontogenic tumours, but no effort till date had been made to harmonise all these works with a view to showing the true pattern of these tumours among Nigerians as a whole. This is what the present review article sets out to achieve.

Method: All articles published in Nigeria on odontogenic tumours from 1969 to date were reviewed. These articles were sourced from online stores using the PUBMED and HINARI. Manual search of the references in these articles was also done to identify additional relevant articles not listed in the above sites.

Result: Ameloblastoma was found to be the most reported odontogenic tumour, and has been described as the most frequently occurring odontogenic tumour in Nigeria. Although malignant variants of odontogenic tumours were well recognized, they were less reported in Nigeria than in the rest of the world. Peak age of occurrence for odontogenic tumours generally was between the 3rd and the 4th decades with variations in male to female ratio based on the type of odontogenic tumour. Mandible was found to be favoured more than maxilla as the common site of occurrence. Late presentation for treatment was a common phenomenon in all studies reviewed.

Conclusion: Odontogenic tumours remain a very common orofacial tomour in Nigeria and the literature is replete about studies from Nigeria. While large number of epidemiological studies exists, little efforts have been focused on management of patients to including challenges of reconstructive surgery and optimum prosthetic rehabilitation for improved  outcome and quality of life.