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Background: Non-utilization of blood and inappropriate blood transfusion are common in surgical operations. Some surgical procedures are associated with minimal bleeding that does not warrant blood transfusion. No previous study has looked at the pattern of blood loss in noma defect repair to determine the possible need for blood transfusion. Aim/Objectives: This study aimed to determine the total amount of blood loss, the number of units of blood transfused, and the correlation between estimated blood loss and total operating time in patients who had surgical correction of noma defects. Materials and Methods: This is a hospital-based cross-sectional study of 35 patients who underwent surgical correction of noma defects. Age, sex, pre- and post-operative haemoglobin (Hb), number of requested blood units, total operating time, and total estimated blood loss were recorded. The methods used for the blood loss estimation were gauze swabs, Abdo-packs, drapes, and suction bottles. Results: Comparison of the mean pre- and post-operative Hb did not yield any statistically significant difference. The total estimated blood loss in these surgeries was in the range of 65–209 mL, with a mean of 117.20 ± 35.88 mL. No correlation between estimated blood loss and total operating time was noted ( P = 0.940). No blood was transfused in any of the subjects. Conclusion: This study observed minimal blood loss in surgical corrections of the soft tissue noma defect. Apart from blood grouping, there may be no need for routine cross-matching of blood pre-operatively for surgical repair of noma defect. However, more studies are needed to buttress this finding.

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Background: Cancrum oris, also known as Noma, is a devastating infectious disease that destroys the soft and hard tissues of the face and peri-oral tissues. The etiology of noma is still unknown, but several risk factors have been identified such as malnutrition, poverty, poor oral and general hygiene. Aim: The aim of this study was to assess the nutritional status (using body mass index) and hemoglobin levels of patients managed with Cancrum oris at the NOMA Children's hospital (NCH) in Sokoto Nigeria. Materials and Methods: This was a 4 year' retrospective study of patients managed with NOMA at the NCH from 2016 to 2019 using the hospital records. Results: One hundred and ninety-five (195) patients were seen within this period. The mean BMI was 16.768 standard deviation 4.59 (Underweight) with about 49% of the total patients seen being underweight. Anemia was observed in 60% of the patients. Conclusions: Malnutrition features are common among noma patients, observed in 49% of noma patients in Sokoto. This is in line with several other reports. However, this study raises questions on a possible relationship of noma with anemia beyond its coexistence with malnutrition.

Objective: Worldwide, the increase in chronic comorbid medical conditions in the young and elderly is of a major concern, especially in Saudi Arabia. Therefore, the objective of the present study was to investigate the prevalence and clinico-odontological management of medically compromised during intra-alveolar exodontia in Saudi Arabia. Methods: This 5-year retrospective study was conducted on patients who had intra-alveolar extraction of teeth at the department of oral and maxillofacial surgery of a government referral hospital, between January 2016 and December 2020. Data on the age, gender, comorbid medical conditions, and management protocols which include general, specific, and special consultations with relevant specialties were also recorded and analyzed. Results: The prevalence of comorbidities in 8065 patients seen during the study period was 19.6%. There were 1578 (748 [47.4%] males and 830 [52.6%] females) patients with age range of 10–102 years. The mean (±standard deviation) of 36 (16.6) was observed. The most frequent spectrum of medical conditions discovered included endocrine (458 [29.0%]), cardiac (259 [16.4%]), respiratory (79 [5.0%]), central nervous system (83 [5.2%]), and autoimmune (54 [3.4%]). Five hundred and sixteen (32.7%) patients had combined medical conditions. Out of the 1578 patients with medical conditions, 1554 (98.5%) were on routine prescription medications. Conclusions: The current study observed that 19.6% of patients presenting for intra-alveolar tooth extractions were medically compromised. Majority were in middle age and were female. Endocrine and cardiac abnormalities were most prevalent medical conditions. Prescription medications were observed in 98.2%.