Ameloblastoma: clinical features and management of 315 cases from Kaduna, Nigeria.

This paper reviews 315 cases of ameloblastoma seen and managed at the Oral and Maxillofacial Clinic of Ahmadu Bello University Hospital, Kaduna, Nigeria over a 20-year period. The data collected on age at presentation, sex distribution, clinical presentation and modalities of treatment are analysed and discussed. A male preponderance was found, with peak presentation in the third and fourth decades of life. Few patients presented with mucosal ulceration, while some presented atypically with expansion of either the lingual or buccal cortical plate of the mandible. Resection of the lesion with dento-alveolar bone and preservation of the lower border of the mandible is effective conservative management in patients with an intact lower border. We do not recommend curettage or enucleation because of the frequency of recurrence. One hundred percent success was recorded in the patients rehabilitated using autogenous bone grafts. Where practicable, bone grafting should be done immediately to avoid the common complications of displacement of bony remnants and occlusal disharmony that occur when grafting is delayed.