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

Aims: The aim of the present study was to determine the range, frequency, prevalence, and distribution of oral lesions submitted for histopathological diagnosis at the oral pathology laboratory at Kuwait University.

Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted of all cases submitted to the oral pathology laboratory over an 18-year period. Age, sex, histopathological diagnosis, and location of the lesions were recorded. Lesions were classified into 10 diagnostic categories.

Results: Of the 697 biopsies examined, the average age of the patients ranged from 1 to 93 years with a mean age of 37.83 ± 16.62 (mean ± SD). The most common diagnostic category was mucosal pathologies (N = 205, 29.4%), followed by odontogenic cysts (N = 158, 22.7%) and reactive lesions (N = 97, 13.9%). The three most common histopathological diagnoses were hyperkeratosis (N = 70), dentigerous cyst (N = 48), and mucocele (N = 44). Twenty-five malignant neoplasms were diagnosed, the majority of them in males. A significant association was observed between age and the group of lesions of the oral cavity (P ≤ 0.001).

Conclusions: The present study provides the first set of data from Kuwait that covers a wide range of oral lesions. Mucosal pathologies were the most frequently diagnosed lesions and the majority of diagnoses were benign.