A review of odontogenic cysts of the oral cavity

Introduction: Knowledge about significant clinical, radiographic and histopathological features of odontogenic cysts and their differential diagnosis with each other and other odontogenic lesions of the oral cavity and also their treatment plan and prognosis is mandatory for dental practitioners. Therefore, in this article odontogenic cysts are reviewed according to their clinicopathologic correlation with each other, and not necessarily based on their prevalence. Review Report: This article was prepared by studying reliable textbooks and also searching Pubmed, Scopus, Google Scholar, Iran Medex, Index Copernicus and ISI references for the published data from 1962 to 2011 with key words of odontogenic cysts, clinical, radiographic, histopathological, differential diagnosis, treatment and prognosis to collect relevant data. Results: Odontogenic cysts are pathologically significant lesions found in the oral cavity, some of which are common. These cysts are divided into two main types: inflammatory and developmental. Radicular cyst is the most important inflammatory cyst. Also, it is by far the most common odontogenic cyst, which is caused by pulpal and periapical inflammation. The second prevalent cyst is the dentigerous cyst, which is subclassified into inflammatory and developmental. Odontogenic keratocyst is the third most common odontogenic cyst, which is of great importance due to its tendency to recur and its proliferative pathogenicity. Although other odontogenic cysts are not so common, they are introduced because those lesions can be included in differential diagnosis. Conclusion: Sufficient knowledge of dentists about odontogenic cysts results in early diagnosis and treatment plan of these lesions. Key words: Clinical, Differential diagnosis, Histopathological, Odontogenic cysts, Prognosis, Radiographic, Treatment