Oral malignancies in Ile-Ife, Nigeria.

Fifty nine patients with histologically confirmed cases of oral malignant neoplasia were included in this study. There was a male preponderance with the male to female ratio being 2.5 to 1.0. The average waiting period before presentation was 8.9 +/- 6.5 months (range: two to 24 months). Squamous cell carcinoma was the predominant variety, 50.8%, of all malignancies recorded. The alveolar ridge and the gingivae were the commonest sites accounting for 40.7% of all cases. Majority of the patients with squamous cell carcinoma, (80.8%), presented with stage IV of this disease. The pattern of oral malignancies in the population studied appears slightly different from earlier observations in Western Europe and Asia. The necessity to strengthen research on the epidemiology of the disease in Nigeria and other African countries is highlighted.