Prevalence and Distribution of Biopsied Oral Lesions in Pediatric Patients at the Faculty of Dentistry, University of Benghazi: A 20-Year Retrospective Study
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.54172/shwpa907Keywords:
Pediatric oral lesions, Oral pathology, Mucocele, Retrospective study, Epidemiology, Oral Biopsy, LibyaAbstract
Pediatric oral lesions comprise a diverse group of conditions with varying clinical behavior and histopathological characteristics. Despite extensive global research, epidemiological data from North African populations, including Libya, remain limited. To define the distribution of biopsy-confirmed oral lesions in Libyan pediatric patients and assess their associations with age, sex, and anatomical location. A retrospective descriptive study was conducted using archival records from the Department of Oral Pathology, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Benghazi. All biopsy-confirmed oral lesions in patients aged 0-14 years between January 2000 and December 2019 were included. Data collected included age, sex, lesion type, and anatomical site. Lesions were categorized into inflammatory/reactive, neoplastic, cystic, and miscellaneous groups. Statistical analysis was performed using Chi-square test, with significance set at p < 0.05. A total of 265 cases were analyzed. The majority of lesions occurred in patients aged 11-14 years (53.4%), with slight male predominance (52.5%). Inflammatory and reactive lesions were the most common category (53.9%), followed by neoplastic (23.7%), predominantly affecting the lip. Among individual lesions, extravasation mucocele was the most frequently encountered diagnosis, representing 63 cases (23.7%), with a clear predilection for the lower lip. A statistically significant association was observed between age and lesion category (p=0.03), whereas no significant association was found with sex. Inflammatory and reactive lesions formed the majority of biopsied oral lesions in Libyan pediatric patients, with extravasation mucocele being the most common diagnosis. These results provide regional epidemiological data and support the demand for histopathological assessment of persistent or atypical pediatric oral lesions.
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