Giant ameloblastoma mortality; a consequence of ignorance, poverty and fear.

Ameloblastoma is a benign tumour of odontogenic origin. Although locally invasive, delay in treatment can lead to severe disfiguring of the facial region. In this report, we present two cases, a man and a woman, of a large ameloblastoma that presented with the typical radiographic features of variably sized radiolucent loculations. Patients presented initially with relatively small tumours but due to fear of surgery, ignorance and possibly poverty, tumour growth became enormous. The female patient died while awaiting consent for surgery and the male patient died at home due to complications closely associated with fear and growth of tumour. Literatures on mortality of ameloblastoma are reviewed. The need for more public enlightenment on the nature and treatment of facial tumours is highlighted. 2014 BMJ Publishing Group Ltd.