Philipsen (1956) described odontogenic keratocyst (OKC) as a benign intraosseous lesion of odontogenic origin that accounts for 10% of jaw cysts. OKCs show aggressive behavior with a high recurrence rate (RR) . 1,2 The 4 th (Jan 2017) edition of the World Health Organization (WHO) Classification of Head and Neck Tumours reclassified the keratocystic odontogenic tumor as odontogenic keratocyst. OKC’s status remains the same even in the 5th (Mar 2022) edition.
3,4 The high RR of OKC (20.8%-26.1%) is due to the epithelial remnants or daughter cysts and is the biggest clinical challenge in its management. 5 Although most recurrences occur within the first five years of treatment, recurrences as late as 10-25 years post-treatment have also been reported. 3 To date, there is much uncertainty regarding the best treatment protocol for minimizing the RR of OKC. Here is an OKC treatment algorithm…
