Non-epithelial cysts (not true cysts)

Solitary bone cyst

Radiology

The solitary bone cyst appears as a well-defined but non-corticated radiolucency. Typically, it has little effect
on adjacent structures and 'arches' up between the roots of teeth .

The inferior dental canal may not be displaced, but the cortical margins of the canal may be lost where it overlies the lesion. Expansion is rare.

Pathology

The cyst is lined by fibrovascular tissue that often includes haemosiderin and multinucleate giant cells.

Aneurysmal bone cyst

Radiology

The aneurysmal bone cyst typically presents as a fairly well-defined radiolucency. Sometimes it has a multilocular appearance because of the occurrence of internal bony septa and opacification. Marked expansion is a feature.

Pathology

The predominant feature of an aneurysmal bone cyst is the presence of blood-filled spaces of variable size lying in a stroma rich in fibroblasts, multinucleate giant cells and haemosiderin. Deposits of osteoid are also seen
 

Chronic Osteomyelitis

• As soon as pus drains intra or extraorally, condition ceases to spread and chronic phase commences.
• Infection is localized but persistent as bacteria are able to grow in dead bone inaccessible to body’s defenses.

Clinical features

• Primary – insidious in onset , slight pain , gradual increase in jaw size.
• Secondary - Pain is deep pain and intermittent, temperature fluctuations , pyrexia , cellulitis eventually leading to abscess
• New bone formation leads to thickening causing facial asymmetry.
• Thickened or “wooden” character of bone in cr sec osteomyelitis.
• Eventually cures itself as the last sequestra is discharged.

Radiographic Features

• Trabeculae in the involved area become thin or appear fuzzy & then lose their continuity.
• After some time “moth eaten” appearance is seen
• Sequestra appear denser on radiographs.
• Where the subperiosteal new bone formation , the new bone is superimposed upon that of jaw, “fingerprint” or “orange peel” appearance is seen
• Cloacae seen as dark shadows passing through opacity.

Histologic features

• Areas of acute and subacute inflammation in the cancellous spaces of the necrotic bone.
• Foci of acute inflammation
• Active osteoclastic resorption of bone noted in peripheral portions

Chronic Subperiosteal Osteomyelitis

• Cortical plate deprived of its blood supply undergoes necrosis, underlying medullary bone  is slightly affected.
• Multiple small sequestra form, eventually discharged through sinuses with pus.
• Following extrusion of sequestra, healing occurs.
• Spontaneous drainage poor in submassetric area.
• Much of  body of mandible is lost due to poor central blood supply of the region.

D/D

• Paget’s disease – particularly wen periosteal bone is involved
• Fibrous dysplasia
• Osteosarcoma

Chronic sclerosing osteomyelitis

– focal

- diffuse

Focal Sclerosing Osteomyelitis

Clinical features

• Most commonly in children and young adults, rarely in older individuals.
• Tooth most commonly involved is the mandibular third molar presenting with a large carious lesion.
• No signs or symptoms other than mild pain associated with infected pulp.

Radiographic features

• Entire root outline always visible with intact lamina dura.
• Periodontal ligament space widened.
• Border smooth & distinct appearing to blend into surrounding bone

D/D for focal sclerosing osteomyelitis

• Local bone sclerosis
• Sclerosing cementoma
• Gigantiform cementoma

Treatment & prognosis

• Affected tooth may be treated endodontically or extracted.
• Sclerotic bone  not attached to tooth and remains behind after tooth is removed.
• This dense area may not get remodeled.
• Recognizable on bone years later and is referred as bone scar.

Diffuse Sclerosing Osteomyelitis

• May occur at any age, most common in older persons, esp in edentulous mandibles
• vague pain, unpleasant taste.
• Many times spontaneous formation of fistula seen opening onto mucosal surface to establish drainage
• Slowly progressive, not particularly dangerous since it is non destructive & seldom produces complications

Radiographic features

• Diffuse patchy, sclerosis of bone – “cotton wool” appearance
• Radiopacity may be extensive and bilateral.
• Due to diffuse nature, border between sclerosis & normal bone is often indistinct

D/D for DIFFUSE sclerosing osteomyelitis

FLORID OSSEOUS DYSPLASIA

SCLEROTIC CEMENTAL MASSES

TRUE CHR DIFFUSE SCLEROSING OSTEOMYELITIS

FIBROUS DYSPLASIA

Treatment & Prognosis

• Resolution of adjacent foci of chronic infection often leads to improvement.
• Usually too extensive to be removed surgically,
• Acute episodes treated with antibiotics.

Osteoradionecrosis

Clinical features

A reduction in vascularity, secondary to endarteritis obliterans, and damage to osteocytes as a consequence of ionising

Radiotherapy can result in radiation-associated osteomyelitis or Osteoradionecrosis. The mandible is much more  commonly affected than the maxilla, because it is less vascular. Pain may be severe and there may be pyrexia. The overlying oral mucosa often appears pale because of radiation damage. Osteoradionecrosis in the jaws arises most often following radiotherapy for squamous cell carcinoma.
 

Scar tissue will also be present at the tumour site, often in close relation to the necrotic bone.

Radiology
 

Osteoradionecrosis appears as rarefying osteitis within which islands of opacity (sequestra) are seen. Pathological

fracture may be visible in the mandible.

Pathology
The affected bone shows features similar to those of chronic osteomyelitis. Grossly, the bone may be cavitated

And discoloured, with formation of sequestra.
Acute inflammatory infiltrate may be present on a background of chronic inflammation, characterized by formation

Of granulation tissue around the non-vital trabeculae.

Blood vessels show areas of endothelial denudation and obliteration of their lumina by fibrosis.

Small telangiectatic vessels lacking precapillary sphincters may be present.

Fibroblasts in the irradiated tissues lose the capacity to divide and often become binucleated and enlarged.

Management

Prevention of Osteoradionecrosis is vital. Patients who  require radiotherapy for the management of head and

neck malignancy should ideally have teeth of doubtful prognosis extracted at least 6 weeks prior to treatment.

The dose of radiation,
The area of the mandible irradiated and
the surgical trauma involved in the dental extractions.
Surgical management of Osteoradionecrosis is similar to osteomyelitis.

Odontogenic cysts

Odontogenic cysts are lined with epithelium derived from the following tooth development structures:

• rests of Malassez: radicular cyst, residual cyst
• reduced enamel epithelium: dentigerous cyst, eruption cyst
• Remnants of the dental lamina: Odontogenic keratocyst, lateral periodontal cyst, gingival cyst of adult, glandular odontogenic cyst

Radicular cyst    
    
Radiology

- A well-defined, round or ovoid radiolucency is associated with the root apex or, less commonly in the lateral position, of a heavily restored or grossly carious tooth.

- A corticated margin is continuous with the lamina dura of the root of the affected tooth.

- The appearances are similar to those of an apical granuloma, but lesions with a diameter exceeding 10 mm are more likely to be cystic
    
Pathology

The cyst lumen is lined by a layer of simple squamous epithelium of variable thickness, which may display areas of discontinuity where it is replaced by granulation tissue.

Arcades and strands of epithelium may extend into the cyst capsule, which is composed of granulation tissue infiltrated by a mixture of acute and chronic inflammatory cells. 

This infiltrate reduces in intensity as the more peripheral areas of the cyst capsule are approached, where mature fibrous tissue replaces the
granulation tissue 

Several features associated with inflammatory odontogenic cysts may be present in the cyst lumen, lining and capsule: cholesterol clefts, foamy macrophages, haemosiderin and Rushton's bodies.
    
    
Residual cyst

Radiology

The residual cyst has a well-defined, round/ovoid radiolucency in an edentulous area. Occasionally flecks of calcification may be seen.

Pathology

The lining and capsule are similar to the radicular cyst; however, both appear more mature, with the former lacking the arcades and strands of epithelium extending into the capsule.    

Keratocystic odontogenic tumor-(Odontogenic keratocyst)

The orthokeratinizing odontogenic cyst is considered an unrelated entity without risk of recurrence or aggressive growth or association with Nevoid basal cell carcinoma syndrome

Epidemiology

- 4 - 12% of all odontogenic cysts (often compared to odontogenic cysts even though WHO classifies as tumor)
- Peaks in second and third decade of life, but can occur over wide age range
- 90% are solitary
- Multiple tumors seen in Nevoid Basal Cell Carcinoma Syndrome / Gorlin Syndrome

Sites

- Mandible most commonly involved (65 - 85% of KCOT)
- Most common site: posterior mandible
- Not uncommonly, but not exclusively associated with impacted teeth
- Rarely occurs in soft tissue

Pathophysiology

- Thought to arise from dental lamina
- Two-hit mechanism results in bi-allelic loss of PTCH ("patched") tumor suppressor on 9q22.3-q31 causing dysregulation of p53 and cyclin D1 oncoproteins

- The presence of daughter cysts within the capsule is a well-recognised finding, particularly in those odontogenic keratocysts arising as a component of the basal cell naevus syndrome.

Clinical features

- Often asymptomatic, incidentally discovered on Xray
- Can cause symptomatic swelling
- Symptoms of pain and drainage if secondarily infected
- Can cause local bone and soft tissue destruction, but usually spares teeth and roots

Radiology

- Small lesions often unilocular radiolucent lesion, variable sclerotic margins
- Larger lesions often multilocular, variable scalloped margins

Dentigerous cyst

Radiology
In dentigerous cysts, there is a pericoronal radiolucency greater than 3-4 mm in width that is suggestive of cyst formation in a dental follicle. The well-defined, corticated radiolucency is associated with the crown of an unerupted tooth. Classically the associated crown of the tooth lies centrally within the cyst, but lateral types occur . 

Pathology

The defining feature of a dentigerous cyst is the site of attachment of the cyst to the involved tooth. This must be at the level of the amelocemental junction. The lining of the cyst is composed of a thin layer of epithelium, either cuboidal or squamous in nature, some 2-5 cells thick . This lining is of even thickness and may  include mucous cells along with focal areas of keratinisation of the superficial epithelial cells. The cyst capsule is, classically, free from inflammation. However, in common with the odontogenic keratocyst, the normal features of the epithelial lining may be distorted when an inflammatory infiltrate is present.

Eruption cyst

Radiology

The extra-bony position of the eruption cyst means that the only radiological sign is likely to be a soft tissue mass.

Pathology

An eruption cyst is basically a dentigerous cyst in soft tissue over an erupting tooth. The histological features are similar to those of the dentigerous cyst, though reduced enamel epithelium is often seen.

Gingival cysts

Gingival cysts are commonly found in neonates but are rarely encountered after 3 months of age. 
Many appear to undergo spontaneous resolution. 
White keratinous nodules are seen on the gingivae and these are referred to as Bohn's nodules or Epstein's pearls. 
Arise from epithelial rests of dental lamina epithelium (rests of Serres) within soft tissue
Many open into the oral cavity forming clefts from which the keratin exudes. 

Radiology

Cyst may cause a superficial "cupping out" of alveolar bone, usually not detected on a radiograph but apparent when cyst is excised
 

Garre’s Osteomyelitis (Chronic Osteomyelitis with Proliferative Perosteitis)

• Chronic Non Suppurative Sclerosing Osteitis/ Periostitis Ossificans.
• Non suppurative productive disease characterized by a hard swelling.
• Occurs due to low grade infection and irritation
• The infectious agent localizes in or beneath the periosteal covering of the cortex & spreads only slightly into the interior of the bone.
• Occurs primarily in young persons who possess great osteogenic activity of the periosteum.

Clinical Features

• Uncommonly encountered, described in tibia and in the head and neck region, in the mandible.
• Typically involves the posterior mandible & is usually unilateral.
• Patients present with an asymptomatic bony, hard swelling with normal appearing overlying skin and mucosa.
• On occasion slight tenderness may be noted
• pain is most constant feature
• The increase in the mass of bone may be due to mild toxic stimulation of periosteal osteoblasts by attenuated infection.

Radiographic features

• Laminations vary from 1 – 12 in number, radiolucent separations often are present between new bone and original cortex. (“onion skin appearance”)
• Trabeculae parallel to laminations may also be present.

Histologic Features

• Reactive new bone.
• Parallel rows of highly cellular & reactive woven bone in which the individual trabeculae are oriented perpendicular to surface.
• Osteoblasts predominate in this area.

D/D for Garre’s Osteomyelitis

• Ewing's sarcoma
• Caffey’s disease
• Fibrous dysplasia
• Osteosarcoma

Treatment

• Removal of the offending cause.
• Once inflammation resolves, layers of the bone consolidate in 6 – 12 months, as the overlying muscle helps to remodel.
• If no focus of infection evident, biopsy recommended.

Epithelial cysts

    Developmental odontogenic cysts
        Odontogenic keratocyst
        Dentigerous cyst (follicular cyst)
        Eruption cyst
        Lateral periodontal cyst
        Gingival cyst of adults
        Glandular odontogenic cyst (sialo-odontogenic)
        
        
    Inflammatory odontogenic cysts

        Radicular cyst (apical and lateral)
        Residual cyst
        Paradental cyst
        
    Non-odontogenic cysts

        Nasopalatine cyst
        Nasolabial cyst
    
Non-epithelial cysts (not true cysts)

    Solitary bone cyst
    Aneurysmal bone cyst