Retrospective analysis of biopsied oral and maxillofacial lesions in South-Western Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Objectives:To report the prevalence and types of biopsied oral and maxillofacial lesions (OMLs) in South-Western (Jazan Province) region, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA).Methods:This retrospective study was based on the retrieval of clinicopathological data for a period of 6 years between January 2009 and December 2014. These data were obtained between October 2014 and June 2015 from the histopathology records of King Fahad Central Hospital, Jazan, KSA, which is the only referral center for biopsy services.Results:Out of the 32149 biopsies received, 714 (2.2%) were OMLs. The age ranged from 0 (neonatal) to 100 years, with a mean age of 46.8±23.4 and a male-to-female ratio of 1:1.3. The tongue was the most common site for OMLs and for malignant neoplasms, in particular. The most common category was malignant neoplasm (38.7%), followed by inflammatory lesions (16.5%). Oral malignancies accounted for 15.8% of all malignancies. Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) (36.1%) was the most frequent type, followed by pyogenic granuloma and mucocele (7% each). Shammah-associated OSCC and epithelial dysplasia were twice as common in females.Conclusion:The number of non-malignant OMLs was much lower than expected in comparison to oral malignancies. This difference can likely be explained by the fact that the biopsies were taken only when malignancy was suspected. The higher rate of OSCC reported from this region is attributed to shammah usage. This study emphasizes the importance of biopsy services for all OMLs and the prevention of shammah use.

Analysis of oral and maxillofacial pathology lesions over an 18‐year period diagnosed at Kuwait University

“…Odontogenic cysts were the second most prevalent pathology in the present study; dentigerous cysts were the most prevalent in this group. This is in contrast to other studies where radicular cysts were the most common odontogenic cysts . In our study, radicular cysts were the second most common odontogenic cysts.…”

“…OSCC accounted for 64% of all malignant lesions in the study, which is consistent with the study of Jones and Franklin . Reports on OSCC from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates showed an incidence from 73% to 93% . Of all the biopsied lesions in the present study, the frequency of OSCC was 2.2%, which is similar to studies from Spain, Libya, Nigeria, and the United Arab Emirates .…”

“…This is in accordance with other studies, which reported a high prevalence of oral lesions in males . However, this is in contrast to studies from Iraq and Saudi Arabia where oral lesions were found to be more prevalent among females . Specific lesions appeared to have a strong predilection for either sex.…”

“…The lack of awareness among patients, and therefore, their compliance to seek biopsy for oral mucosal lesions, could be cited as a reason for the paucity. Comparatively, in 6 years, 616 samples were studied at a teaching hospital in Iraq, and 714 samples in a Saudi Arabian province . However, one can observe the uniform rise in biopsies in later years (2010‐2018) in all of the diagnostic categories.…”

“…A UK survey of oral and maxillofacial pathology specimens from adults ≥ 17 years comprehensively described the range and the frequency of histologically diagnosed lesions from 44 000 samples . Other studies reported include those from the USA, Australia, Iraq, Singapore, Portugal, Saudi Arabia, and Spain . Currently there is a lack of studies on oral and maxillofacial pathology lesion prevalence in Kuwait.…”