Dentigerous cyst: a retrospective clinicopathological analysis of 2082 dentigerous cysts in British Columbia, Canada

The aim of this research is to analyze the prevalence of dentigerous cysts (DCs) in a population-based cohort in British Columbia, Canada, and to report unusual cases associated with DC. The database of the British Columbia Oral Biopsy Service was searched from 1998 to 2007. 2082 histologically confirmed DCs from 2029 patients were retrieved and retrospectively analyzed for incidence, age, gender and ethnicity. The results show that this is a common jaw cyst with male predilection, has a peak incidence in younger adults and is more common in Caucasians. Multiple DCs, representing 2.5% of the cases, are not associated with any syndromes or systemic conditions. 0.5% DCs were associated with other cysts or tumours at the same site or the opposite side of the jaw. The authors report the first series of cases presenting clinically as bilateral DCs, but histologically as an odontogenic tumour or another type of odontogenic cyst. DCs can co-exist with other more serious conditions, such as odontogenic keratocyst or cystic ameloblastoma. This association with more significant conditions indicates the importance of histologically confirming any jaw cyst, even when it presents clinically as a classic DC.