The incidence and pattern of oro-facial infection and swellings in Nigerian children.

Between the 2 of january and the 31 of december 1985 there was done a study of 215 children in ages between 0-15 years in the Department of Oral Diagnosis of the Ibadan University Hospital, where they were external patients with oral infections/swelling. The male-female proportion was 1.3:1. 42.33% were from 0 to 5. 70.24% belonged to the lowest social group of the community, with a high risk of oral-facial infections. The situation of their oral hygiene didn't reflect their social and economical state, and meant no predisposition to infection. The common infections were alveolar abscess, acute necrotizing ulcerative gingivitis and primary herpetic gingivo-stomatitis. They could be complicated with measles and for nutritive failure. Neoplasms were uncommon. Infections were frequent in jaw; antibiotic therapy and "depridement" were often enough to eliminate them.