Description: This is a cyst that forms around the crown of an unerupted tooth and therefore, appears on x-ray as a pericoronal radiolucency. The size is extremely variable. Small ones are only slightly greater in size than a normal follicle whereas large ones are of sufficient size to virtually hollow out the jaw.
Most patients with this cyst are young or middle age adults. The teeth most commonly affected are third molars and maxillary cuspids. No tooth is immune, but decidious teeth are scarcely ever affected.
Small cysts are without symptoms but large ones expand the affected jaw and may cause pain and less often paresthesia.
Etiology: The accumulation of fluid between the unerupted tooth and the surrounding dental follicle is the accepted etiology. What precipates this fluid accumulation is unknown.
Treatment: Surgical enucleation. All dentigerous cysts should be submitted for histopathologic examination.
Prognosis: Good
Differential diagnosis: Cystic ameloblastoma, odontogenic keratocyst, odontogenic adenomatoid tumor and calcifying epithelial odontogenic tumor