Kinshasa, July 24th, 2021 (CPA).– Dental cysts are very common, extremely diverse, and develop on the spot, at the place where they originated, explained Friday Dr. Léonard Ngalamulume, doctor of the Mother and Child Health Center of Bumbu in Kinshasa, during an interview with the CPA.
It should be noted that the dental cyst is never created by the accumulation of pus as one can sometimes hear it, he said. Cysts may arise from the debris of osteogenesis, the process by which bone tissue develops. These remains, isolated for a considerable time, would, under the effect of a stimulation of still unknown origin, lead to the formation of a cyst. According to some authors, the sudden proliferation of this debris is secondary to inflammation of dental or periodontal origin, and gives rise to inflammatory cysts. It is also known that the formation and development of a cyst depends both on cell proliferation, the accumulation of fluid in its lumen and bone resorption.
Dr Ngalamume indicated that the orofacial sphere is particularly complex from a histological point of view. This peculiarity makes possible the great variety of cysts. Some will have something to do with the dental organ (odontogenic cysts), others not (non-odontogenic cysts). However, their diversity does not lead to a multitude of different symptoms. In the vast majority of cases, bone swelling is the first warning sign. Inspection shows the consistency of the swelling, while other factors, such as age, frequency, location of the tumor and certain radiological signs, may guide the diagnosis.
An x-ray is the basic examination to detect them, although the risks of error exist given the possible variety of lesions. The orthopantomogram can appreciate its extension. Despite their diversity, dental cysts have one thing in common: their treatment. When the cyst causes superinfection or causes functional or unsightly repercussions, it is enucleated by surgery. Surgical treatment under general anesthesia may also be possible depending on the condition of the lesion. In most cases, and unlike dental fistula, the lesion does not go away on its own when the source of infection supposedly causing it to appear is treated. ACP/Fng/nig