Paediatric oral surgical pathology service in an African population group: a 10 year review.

The records of the Oral Pathology Services of the University College Hospital Ibadan Dental Centre contains data on 2264 biopsies between 1986-1996. There were 561 biopsies on patients aged 1-16 years representing 16.2% of total. Case notes and radiographs (where available) were retrieved and analysed for diagnosis, sex, age and site. For convenience, tissue pathology was compartmentalised into, Neoplasm (benign and malignant), cysts, and inflammatory/reactive. Neoplasm constitutes the highest with 47.6%, followed by inflammatory/reactive 27.6% and cystic lesions at 24.8%. A significant preference for male over female was noted and the mandible was also the site of preference for most of the lesions.