Amoxicillin concentrations in serum, jaw cyst, and jawbone following a single oral administration.

Forty-four patient who underwent enucleation of jaw cysts were administered amoxicillin preoperatively. Specimens of venous blood (44), walls and fluids from periodontal (31) and dentigerous (13) cysts, and jawbone (26) were obtained during the operation and assayed for amoxicillin content. Measurable concentrations were found in all specimens. The levels were higher in periodontal cysts than in dentigerous cysts, and higher in maxillary bone than in mandibular bone. Since amoxicillin can easily and rapidly pass through the epithelial lining according to the change in concentration, the penetration by amoxicillin of blood/cyst wall/cyst fluid probably depends on simple diffusion.