Burden of Oral and Maxillofacial Tumours at University College Hospital, Ibadan, Oyo State, South West Nigeria

Oral and maxillofacial tumours, including Burkitt lymphoma, ameloblastoma, squamous cell carcinoma, and other jaw neoplasms, constitute a significant surgical burden in Nigeria, with some subtypes carrying a disproportionately high incidence compared to global patterns. This study examines the burden, clinicopathological characteristics, and management outcomes of oral and maxillofacial tumours at the University College Hospital, Ibadan, Oyo State. A retrospective descriptive design is applied to surgical and histopathology records over a five-year period from 2018 to 2022. Variables include tumour type, anatomical location, patient age and sex, clinical staging, surgical management performed, adjuvant therapy use, and one-year recurrence or mortality. SPSS is used for analysis. Available evidence from UCH's published surgical series identifies ameloblastoma as the most frequent jaw tumour and Burkitt lymphoma as a major contributor among younger patients, with late presentation limiting curative resection in many cases. The WHO Classification of Head and Neck Tumours guides histological categorisation. Findings will contribute to the hospital's maxillofacial oncology database and support the department in refining case conference protocols and multidisciplinary tumour board structures. Keywords: maxillofacial tumours, ameloblastoma, Burkitt lymphoma, Ibadan, South West Nigeria.