Odontogenic keratocyst: the northwestern USA experience

Odontogenic keratocyst (OKC) is a cyst of tooth origin with an aggressive clinical behavior including a high recurrence rate. OKC demographics in the northwestern United States are presented and compared to those reported elsewhere. A total of 430 cases were obtained from 393 patients of the northwest region over a period of 15 years. Data evaluated included: site, gender, age, race, and association with bifid-rib basal cell nevus syndrome (Gorlin syndrome). Site distribution of the northwest group was similar to that of international groups. For the northwest group, the most common lesion location was the body of the mandible. Gender distribution in the northwest group appeared similar to other reports made in Denmark, England, Japan, and other regions in the United States. However, when gender distribution was compared by decade of life, the northwest group had the largest cluster of males in the fourth decade and of females in the second decade. The greatest frequency in both genders occurred in the third decade. There were 18 of 258 (6.9%) male patients with OKC under age 10 in the northwest group and nearly 80% of the patients were Caucasian. The race factor is rarely described in other reports. Gorlin's syndrome was present in 5% of the patients, with a higher distribution in the first and second decades. In conclusion, this is the first report of OKC cases from the Pacific Northwest region of the United States of America.