ORAL AND MAXILLOFACIAL TUMORS IN CHILDREN - A REVIEW

This retrospective review presents our experience of oral and maxillof acial tumours in children, The subjects were 250 children under the ag e of 15 years (out of a total of 2747 patients with oral and maxillofa cial tumours), who were treated after histopathological confirmation o f their diagnoses during the 28 years 1965-92. Diagnosis, incidence, a nd age at presentation were the main outcome measures and the results showed that 232 patients (93%) had benign tumours and 18 (7%) were mal ignant. The most common benign tumour was haemangioma (n=69) and the m ost common malignant tumour sarcoma (n=14). The most common odontogeni c tumour was odontoma (n=47) and non-odontogenic tumour ossifying fibr oma (n=5). The most common site of soft tissue tumours was the tongue (n=65) and of bony tumours the mandible (n=62). About a third of the t umours developed in patients between the ages of 6 and 11 years, Most of the angiomas developed in patients less than 6 years old, and most of the ameloblastomas in those over 12 years of age, Children accounte d for 55% of patients with lymphangoma, 41% of those with odontoma, an d 22% of those with haemangioma. It is concluded that most of these le sions were probably developmental malformations rather than neoplasms, and that the definition of oral and maxillofacial tumours in children should be reconsidered.