Clinicostatistical study of 102 cases of external dental fistula.

We clinicostatistically studied 102 cases of external dental fistula at the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Asahikawa Medical College during the past 18 years (from 1977 through 1994). The following results were obtained:1) The 102 patients comprised 49 males and 53 females. As for age, patients, in their twenties and thirties were most frequently encountered.2) The period from the onset of disease until the first visit at our clinic tended to be relatively long. The longest period was 13 years and the shortest several days. The average period was 16.9 months.3) The cheek area (48.0%) was the commonest site of external dental fistulae.4) External dental fistula arose more often in the mandibular region than the maxillary region, and was especially frequent in the mandibular molars and incisors.5) In many patients the involved teeth and the fistula were concurrently treated by surgery.