Cystic lesions of the jaws in children

Sixty nine pediatric patients with cystic lesions of the jaws were successfully diagnosed and treated. Thirty one (45%) were dentigerous cysts (D.C.), 15 (22%) were eruption cysts (E.C.), 12 (17.3%) were traumatic bone cysts (T.B.C.), nine (13.3%) were radicular cysts (R.C.), one (1.5%) was primordial cyst (P.C.) and one (1.5%) globulomaxillary cyst (G.M.C.). The mean age for E.C., R.C., D.C., T.B.C. was 4.7, 9.2, 11.5, and 13.3 years, respectively. The mean age of E.C. is significantly (P<0.05) younger than D.C. and T.B.C. but not from R.C. No significant age differences were found between R.C., D.C. and T.B.C. The differences in mean cyst diameter were not significant. Male to female ratio was 1. The treatment modalities were: marsupialization, enucleation or enucleation with bone grafting. The findings demonstrate that the distribution and characteristics of jaw cysts in children is unique and is different from the distribution in adults. The relatively high rate of developmental cyst and the fact that they occur in an area with rapid developmental changes, suggest the need for more conservative surgical management in this selected patient population.