Conservative treatment protocol of odontogenic keratocyst: a preliminary study

The objective of this study was to report our experience with the treatment of 30 odontogenic keratocyst (OKC) patients with a conservative treatment protocol based on decompression with reference to the recurrence rate.

Twenty-eight patients (19 females, 9 males) with 30 OKCs attended the OMS Department of the Piracicaba Dental School of Campinas State University between 1995 and 2003. Age range was 13 to 69 years (mean, 30 years of age). Initial biopsy was carried out in all patients and the OKCs were diagnosed after histological examination by the Oral Pathology Department. The cases were treated according to the treatment employed in this department, consisting mainly of decompression and curettage of the remaining lesion. The average follow-up for the 28 cases was 24.89 months (+/-9.74).

The majority of the lesions (16 patients, 53.3%) occurred in the angle of the mandible and mandibular ramus. The most common histological pattern of OKC was parakeratinized (66.6%) and 13 of 28 patients presented impacted teeth associated with the lesion. The mean time for decompression was 9.27 months. Recurrence occurred in 4 patients (14.3%) with 4 OKCs. These patients were treated initially with decompression and curettage (2 cases), or with decompression only (2 cases). All the cases were monitored continuously with panoramic radiographies and clinical evaluations.

The treatment protocol for OKC based on decompression offers a conservative and effective option with low morbidity and similar recurrence rates to those reported in the literature. The systematic and long-term post-surgical follow-up is considered to be a key element for successful results.