Patttern of occurrence of jaw cysts and cyst-like lesions in patients at the University of Nairobi dental hospital: a 10-year histopathologic audit

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Jaw cysts and cyst-like lesions cause facial deformity, destruction of dental tissues and affect masticatory and phonation functions. These adversely erode patients’ psycho-social status; create low self-esteem and may change one’s facial identity and appearance. There is hardly any available biodata on the pattern of occurrence, demographic pattern and histopatological variants of the various jaw cyst and cyst-like lesions at the University of Nairobi Dental Hospital (UNDH). OBJECTIVES: To determine the histo-pathologic characteristics, variants and demographic pattern of jaw cysts and cyst-like lesions at the UNDH. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This was an analytical and verification study that involved microscopic re-examination of all available incisional/excisional biopsy samples from January 2000 to December 2009 for histo-pathological diagnosis. RESULTS: 187 jaw cysts and cyst-like lesions were diagnosed at the UNDH over the ten-year period. Keratocystic odontogenic tumours constituted 28%, dentigerous cysts 25%, nasopalatine duct cysts 19%, radicular cysts 15%, while calcifying odontogenic cysts comprised 4% of all the lesions. The rest of the lesions ranged between 1% and 3% of all the lesion entities CONCLUSION: Keratocystic odontogenic tumours and dentigerous cysts were the most common developmental cyst-like lesion and odontogenic cysts diagnosed in the ten-year period respectively. The radicular cyst was not the most common odontogenic cyst unlike what other studies have reported. RECOMMENDATION: All tissues associated with extracted teeth which have periapical pathology should be sampled for histopathalogy analysis.