A 9-year audit of major oral and maxillofacial surgeries done at noma children hospital sokoto

Background: Despite progressive development in dental sub-specialties and, an increase in the number of oral and maxillofacial surgeons in Nigeria, there were few studies done to report the pattern of maxillofacial surgeries done especially in the Northwestern region. This study aims to present an audit of oral and maxillofacial surgeries done at Noma children's hospital (NCH) Sokoto. Methodology: This is a retrospective study of the record of the oral and maxillofacial surgeries done at NCH Sokoto from June 2013 to June 2022. Demographic characteristics, site of the lesion, indication for surgery, route of intubation, the procedure performed and, complications were recorded. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 25. Result: There were 99(64.7%) males and 54(35.3%) females with a mean±SD of 20.68±15.52years and, a range of 1-72 years. Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) (47(30.7%)) was the commonest region affected followed by the mandible in 35(22.9%) of the cases. Temporomandibular joint ankylosis was the commonest indication for surgery. The most common surgical procedure done was surgical excision (32(20.9%)) while the least was Open reduction and internal fixation 4(2.6%). Reconstruction of hard tissue was done using iliac and rib grafts. Variable complications including facial nerve paresis, hardware extrusion and, recurrence were recorded in 25% of the cases. Conclusion: Oral and maxillofacial surgery is a demanding specialty in our clime due to the observable increase in cases and evolving specialized centers. There is a need for regular surgical audits, improved, and expansion of co-managing units and increase in the training of dental sub-specialists. Increasing healthcare funding as well as insurance coverage will assist in improving preventive and surgical aspects of oral and maxillofacial surgical conditions.