Carcinoma of the oral cavity occurring in Africans is poorly documented. Although oral cancer is considered rare in Africa approximately 40 cases of intraoral carcinoma are seen yearly at the Maxillofacial Clinic, Kaduna. This paper reviews 137 cases of malignant disease in the oral cavity and compares the results with previously published literature. Tumours of the major salivary glands and carcinoma that could clearly be shown to originate from the antral mucosa are not included in this series. Lesions of the palate, alveolar ridge and the oral vestibule, all of which appeared to have arisen primarily from the oral mucosa, predominated. A relatively low incidence of carcinoma of the lip and tongue was recorded. The patients were considerably younger than those reported in comparable series from Europe and America.
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