PURPOSE

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the eruption of dentigerous cyst (DC)-associated mandibular premolars after marsupialization in preadolescents.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

The present study was a retrospective cohort study of preadolescent patients with DCs who were treated as outpatients at the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine. For our study, the data from these patients were collected, and the eruption of the premolar teeth, along with related factors, such as the interval to eruption, cusp depth, angulation, cyst size, and eruption space, were analyzed for the cyst group compared with the noncyst control group.

RESULTS

The mean age of the patients was 9.1 years. All teeth associated with DCs erupted successfully after marsupialization. The follow-up panoramic radiograph showed that the cysts had disappeared and had been replaced by regenerated bone. The initial panoramic radiograph showed the angulation of the teeth in the cyst group had a significantly larger inclination angle than did the teeth in the noncyst group (P < .05). However, no significant difference was found for cusp depth, root formation, or space measurement. The gender, age, cusp depth, angulation, and eruption space were not factors influencing the eruption of the DC-associated tooth for preadolescent patients in the present study. In addition, the cyst-associated teeth took less time to erupt than the teeth in the control group.

CONCLUSIONS

The results of the present study suggest that DC-associated mandibular premolars can erupt spontaneously after marsupialization in preadolescents.