INTRODUCTION:
Dental follicles remain adjacent to the crown of an unerupted or impacted tooth. Changes in dental follicles can occur and form a solitary cyst around the crown of the tooth, deemed dentigerous cysts.
OBJECTIVE:
The aim of this study was to determine the incidence of soft tissue changes around unerupted or impacted third molars.
MATERIAL AND METHOD:
Pericoronal tissue of patients who were referred to our clinic for removal of third molars for a variety of reasons was examined histopathologically. Follicular spaces were measured from periapical and panoramic radiographs by each author independently.
RESULT:
Of the 37 specimens submitted for histopathologic examination, 19 normal follicular tissues (51%), 11 arrangements typical of a cyst (30%) and 7 normal tissues of oral mucous (11%) were found.
CONCLUSION:
Cystic changes may be encountered in the histopathologic examination of radiographically normal unerupted or impacted third molar follicles.
Odontogenic cysts; unerupted tooth; dental sac; third molar
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