Differential diagnosis of cysts of jaws

Odontogenic keratocyst:Aggresive type,paresthesia in the jaw along with mobility & displacement of the tooth,radiographically present multilocular radiolucent areas with typical “soap-bubble” appearance.Differential diagnosis:Ameloblastoma,Dentigerous cyst,Residual cyst

Eruption cyst:Associated with the erupting deciduous or permanent teeth.The lesion appears as a circumscribed,fluctuant,often translucent swelling of the alveolar ridge over the site of eruption of the teeth.Differential diagnosis: Hematoma, hemangioma, amalgam tattoo, melanoma.

Gingival cyst of adult:The cyst is located in the gingival tissue outside the bone.It is slowly enlarging,painless swelling,firm but compressible,fluid filled, “dome-like”swelling on the mandibular or maxillary facial gingiva around the canine-premolar area.Differential diagnosis:Lateral periodontal cyst, periodontal abscess.

Lateral periodontal cyst:Associated with lateral root surface of an erupted vital tooth,clinically small,painless soft tissue swelling within or just anterior to the interdental papilae, radiographically ‘Teardrop-shaped’ radiolucent area.Differential diagnosis:Lateral periodontal abscess,Radicular cyst,Lateral dentigerous cyst,Globulomaxillary cyst.

Radicular cyst:Clinically smaller cystic lesion,usually asymptomatic,bony hard or crepatations,rubbery or fluctuate.Radiographically well-defined,unilocular,round shaped radiolucent area at the root apex.Differential diagnosis:Periapical granuloma,Periapical abscess,Traumatic bone cyst

Nasopalatine duct cyst:It is a small,painful,fluctuant swelling in the midline of the anterior part of hard palate near the opening of the incisive foramen.Radiographically round or heart-shaprd radiolucent area.Differential diagnosis:Median palatine cyst,Radicular cyst

Residual ctst:Asymptomatic,previous history of pain in the tooth,well circumscribed round or ovoid unilocular radiolucency.Differential diagnosis:Primordial cyst,Traumatic cyst,Ameloblastoma(in initial stage/unilocular)

Calcifying epithelial odontogenic cyst:Frequently in mandibular premolar region,slow growing,painless,non-tender swelling,adjacent teeth may be displaced,well defined or irregular,unilocular or multilocular,calcified foci often foundDifferential diagnosis:AOT,CEOT,Dentigerous cyst,Ameloblastoma

Dentigerous cyst:The cyst encloses the crown of the unerupted tooth & is attached to the neck.Differential diagnosis:Adenomatoid odontogenic tumor,Ameloblastoma,Odontogenic keratocyst,Calcifying epithelial odontogenic cyst

Globulomaxillary cyst:Usually asymptomatic,small swelling between maxillary lateral incisor & canine.Radiograph reveals an inverted pear-shaped radiolucent area.Differential diagnosis:Lateral periodontal cyst,Lateral dentigerous cyst,primordial cyst

NORTH BENGAL DENTAL COLLEGE & HOSPITALDepartment of ORAL MEDICINE & RADIOLOGY