An odontogenic keratocyst is a rare and benign but locally aggressive developmental cyst. It most often affects the posterior mandible and most commonly presents in the third decade of life.[1] Odontogenic keratocysts make up around 19% of jaw cysts.[2] Despite its more common appearance in the bone region, it can affect soft tissue. [3]
In the WHO/IARC classification of head and neck pathology, this clinical entity had been known for years as the odontogenic keratocyst; it was reclassified as keratocystic odontogenic tumour (KCOT) from 2005 to 2017.[4][5] In 2017 it reverted to the earlier name, as the new WHO/IARC classification reclassified OKC back into the cystic category.[6] Under The WHO/IARC classification, Odontogenic Keratocyst underwent the reclassification as it is no longer considered a neoplasm due to a lack of quality evidence regarding this hypothesis, especially with respect to clonality. Within the Head and Neck pathology community there is still controversy surrounding the reclassification, with some pathologists still considering Odontogenic Keratocyst as a neoplasm in line with the previous classification.[7]
^Crispian S (2008). Oral and maxillofacial medicine : the basis of diagnosis and treatment (2nd ed.). Edinburgh: Churchill Livingstone. ISBN9780443068188. OCLC123962943.
^Stoelinga, P, et al. (January 2022). "The extra-osseous odontogenic keratocyst: An anachronism?". Journal of Stomatology Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery. 123 (6): e790–e793. doi:10.1016/j.jormas.2022.07.001. PMID35798194.