A comparative study of the clinical and histological features of recurrent and non-recurrent odontogenic keratocysts.

The clinical features of 44 recurrent odontogenic keratocysts were compared with those of 228 single non-recurrent keratocysts which had been followed for 5 or more years. Histological comparisons were made with 44 non-recurrent cysts matched for age, sex and site. There were no significant differences in the age, sex and site between patients with recurrent and non-recurrent cysts. There were no significant histological differences except for a greater amount of inflammation in the non-recurrent cysts. It is suggested that operative factors have a major influence on the likelihood of recurrence.