Introduction: Although benign tumours are thought to be relatively uncommon in the orofacial region, the incidence differs according to the country. The purpose of this study was to systematically analyse the incidence of benign tumours of maxillofacial region within the Libyan population.
Material and methods: A total of 405 cases of benign tumours reported at the Faculty of Dentistry, Arab Medical Science University, Libyan Arab Jamahiriya between 1991 and 2007 were analysed.
Results: Keratocystic odontogenic tumour (35.1%) was the most common. Among the non-odontogenic tumours, there were 85 cases of fibrous and adipose tissue origin (33%), 66 cases of bone tumours (26%), 51 cases of epithelial tumours (20%), 37 cases of vascular origin (14%) and 18 neurogenic (7%).
Conclusion: In comparison with other international studies, the incidence of benign tumours of orofacial region is relatively lower in Libyan population. The results of the study were more consistent with those from Turkey than other African and European countries.