Traumatic bone cyst of an anterior mandible with previous symphyseal fracture in a pediatric patient: a rare finding and etiopathologic correlation.

Traumatic bone cysts (TBCs) are uncommon intraosseous lesions, classified as pseudocysts because they lack an epithelial membrane lining. The etiology of a pseudocyst has not been determined. Various hypotheses have been put forward to explain its pathogenesis, of which the traumatic-hemorrhagic theory is the most commonly accepted. Minor trauma, insufficient to cause fracture or iatrogenic injury, is commonly implicated as the stimulus initiating cyst formation. A TBC presenting after jaw fracture has been rarely reported in the literature. This article presents a case of a TBC of the anterior mandible in a child with a previous history of trauma and fracture of the symphysis. The article also reviews the literature to corroborate the possible role of major trauma in the pathogenesis of TBC.