Cystic lesions in the jaw presenting as head and neck infection

Although mandibular cystic lesions are typically considered sterile, they occasionally present as head and neck infections. We have observed seven cases where large facial abscesses were associated with large cystic lesions of the mandible. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate mandibular cystic lesions presenting as infections in the head and neck region, based on the involvement of the surrounding structures and demographic variables. Out of the seven patients diagnosed as having head and neck infections associated with cystic lesions, three presented with dentigerous cysts and four with keratocystic odontogenic tumors (KCOT). Six out of the seven lesions were multilocular with large cortical expansion and erosion, suggesting that marked cortical expansion in the buccolingual direction might be indicative of the developing infection. The treatment of lesions required multiple surgical interventions including marsupialization, enucleation, and peripheral osteotomy or resection. Because of the large size of the cysts, all patients required long-term follow-up.