Diagnosis and treatment of odontogenic keratocysts

Abstract

Odontogenic keratocyst (OKC) is the cyst arising from the cell rests of dental lamina. It can occur anywhere in the jaw, but commonly seen in the posterior part of the mandible. On radiograph it may be unilocular or multi locular OKC is a cyst of odontogenic origin, usually asymptomatic with an aggressive clinical behavior including a high recurrence rate and tendency to invade bone and adjacent soft tissues. Diagnosis is based on the clinical history, clinical appearance, and radiographs and histology. Multiple surgical approaches are available including aggressive approaches like lesion resection, and conservative options such as marsupialization, decompression, enucleation. Several factors determine treatment type including patient age, lesion location and size, and whether the OKC is primary or recurrent.