Irrigational therapy of a dentigerous cyst in a geriatric patient: a case report

Dentigerous cysts are recognized as one of the most common lesions of the jaws. Although surgical enucleation is usually the preferred treatment method, it is not always the best choice for elderly patients who have other medical complications. With cyst irrigational therapy, repeated irrigation allows bone regeneration around the cyst to progress more rapidly than that around a cyst treated operatively with marsupialization. We used irrigational therapy to treat a dentigerous cyst in a 72-year-old man who did not agree to surgery because he had no symptoms associated with the cyst, and he had other medical complications. After one year, remarkable bone regeneration was observed. We conclude that irrigational therapy appears to be an effective, less-invasive alternative to surgery for geriatric patients.