Radiographic examination of dentigerous cysts in the transitional dentition.
OBJECTIVE
To examine radiographically the relationship between the deciduous tooth and dentigerous cyst of the permanent successor during the transitional dentition.


METHODS
From a retrospective review of all patients who visited our institution from April 1988 to August 2001, 70 patients under 16 years of age who had histologically confirmed dentigerous cysts that had developed from the central incisor to the second premolar were identified. These 70 patients were investigated using panoramic and periapical radiographs.


RESULTS
In most cases (54 cases; 77.1%) the cyst was in the premolar region. Of the 54 premolars with dentigerous cysts, the overlying deciduous tooth had already been lost in 7 cases. Of the 47 remaining premolars with associated deciduous tooth, 35 (74.5%) had bone resorption of the periapical or bifurcation region, or irregular resorption of the associated deciduous tooth. Of the remaining 12 deciduous teeth with no periapical lesions, 9 had been treated with root canal therapy. Thus, 44 of these 47 cases (93.6%) had the possibility of inflammation at the deciduous tooth associated with the dentigerous cyst. Evidence from one case in the present study suggesting the process by which cyst development occurs is also given.


CONCLUSIONS
Inflammatory change at the apex of the deciduous tooth may bring on a dentigerous cyst of the permanent successor.
Shibata
Y
Y
Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology, Field of Tumor Biology, Graduate School of Medicine and Dentistry, Okayama University, Japan.
Asaumi
J
J
Yanagi
Y
Y
Kawai
N
N
Hisatomi
M
M
Matsuzaki
H
H
Konouchi
H
H
Nagatsuka
H
H
Kishi
K
K
D000293:Adolescent; D001641:Bicuspid / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D001862:Bone Resorption / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D002648:Child; D003481:Cuspid / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D003795:Dental Sac / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D003803:Dentigerous Cyst / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007180:Incisor / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D008297:Male; D008963:Molar / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D010483:Periapical Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D011862:Radiography, Panoramic; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012390:Root Canal Therapy; D012391:Root Resorption / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D014094:Tooth, Deciduous / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D014097:Tooth, Unerupted / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*