The Treatment of Different Large Odontogenic Cysts in Children Only Using Acrylic Obturator-Guided Decompression: A Long-Term Clinical Study

Aim: Various odontogenic cysts may occur in the jawbones during childhood, including radicular cysts, dentigerous cysts, and odontogenic keratocysts. Treatment for such cysts ranges from conservative approaches to radical surgical procedures. The present study evaluates the effect of the only decompression method for treating various odontogenic cysts in children. 
Materials and Methods: A total of 16 pediatric patients (four girls, 12 boys; mean age 9.6) with six developmental cysts (one keratocyst, five dentigerous cysts) and ten inflammatory (radicular) cysts were treated using the decompression method with an acrylic obturator as a placeholder. The average follow-up time was 108.75 months. All patients were evaluated clinically and radiologically one, three, six, and 12 months after the operation and annually thereafter. 
Results: The average duration of the decompression treatment was 7.3 months. First, the primary teeth associated with the cyst were extracted. In four patients, spontaneous eruption of the impacted permanent teeth was not observed; these were erupted using orthodontic treatment. In two cases of dentigerous cysts, the impacted teeth were extracted and the cyst enucleated after an orthodontic consultation. In the remaining 14 cases, the permanent teeth erupted successfully (87.5%), and the cysts healed completely after decompression treatment. 
Conclusions: To avoid developmental problems, conservative procedures should be preferred for the treatment of odontogenic cysts in children. Decompression therapy using an acrylic obturator as a placeholder is an effective treatment for odontogenic cysts in pediatric patients; this approach protects and maintains the permanent teeth.