What is a Dentigerous Cyst?
The second most common tooth-derived cyst is the
dentigerous cyst, which develops around the crown of an
unerupted tooth.
What are the causes of dentigerous cysts?
It most frequently is found in areas where unerupted teeth
are found: wisdom teeth and upper jaw canines, in
decreasing order of frequency.
What are the signs & symptoms of dentigerous cysts?
These cysts can grow very large and can move teeth but,
more commonly, they are relatively small.
Most dentigerous cysts are asymptomatic and their
discovery is usually an incidental finding on taking an X-ray
of the mouth.
Dentigerous cysts can become quite large and can place
the patient at risk from a pathological jaw fracture.
How is it treated?
Teeth that have dentigerous cysts associated with them are
removed together with the cysts.
The cysts are sent off for closer scrutiny under the
microscope.
Once removed, they are very unlikely to come back.
Impacted teeth with small areas of shadowing around their
crowns (suggesting the presence of normal dental follicle
rather than dentigerous cyst) also may be monitored with
serial X-rays. Any increase in the size of the ‘shadowing’
should prompt removal and microscopic analysis.
Dentigerous Cysts – Key Features
Arise in bone & contain the crown of an unerupted
tooth which is usually displaced.
Are most frequently associated with unerupted 3rd
molars (wisdom teeth) and canines.
Clinical & radiographic features usually provide an
accurate pre-operative diagnosis but confirmation is
histological.
Responds to enucleation or marsupialisation and
does not recur after treatment.
May be mistaken radiographically for an odontogenic
keratocyst or ameloblastoma.
