RESUMO
Objective : To determine the relative frequency and distribution of odontogenic and nonodontogenic cysts in alarge Turkish population. Study Design A retrospective survey of jaw cysts was undertaken at the Oral Diagnosis and Radiology and Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Department, Ondokuz Mayýs University Dental School, Samsun, Turkey . Data were retrieved from clinical files, imaging, and histopathology reports from 2000 to 2008; a total of 12,350 patients were included . In each case, we analyzed age, gender, type and number of cysts, and cyst location . Imaging pat -terns and pathologies associated with cystic lesions were also determined .Results : The prevalence of odontogenic and nonodontogenic cysts was 3.51%; males were affected more frequently than females . There were 452 odontogenic cysts (98.5%) and seven nonodontogenic cysts (1.5%). The most frequent odontogenic cyst was radicular (54.7%), followed by dentigerous (26.6%), residual (13.7%), odontogenic keratocyst (3.3%), and lateral periodontal cyst (0.2%). Nasopalatine duct cyst (1.5%) was the only nonodontogenic cyst . By age, cysts peaked in the third decade (24.2%). Concerning location, no statistically significant difference was found between the maxilla and mandible (p>0.05). The most frequent radiological feature of these lesions was unilocular cyst (93.7%). Pathologies associated with cystic lesions occurred in 14.7%.Conclusion : The prevalence of both odontogenic and nonodontogenic cysts were lower than that reported in many other studies . In our study population, cysts were mainly inflammatory in origin (AU)