Consequences of Decompression Treatment With a Special-Made Appliance of Nonsyndromic Odontogenic Cysts in Children.

Purpose: Odontogenic cysts can cause changes in bone structure. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the change in bone healing before and after decompression of nonsyndromic odontogenic cysts in children.

Methods: A retrospective cohort study was performed including children diagnosed with nonsyndromic odontogenic cysts between January 2016 and December 2020. Study variables included the measurement times (baseline: T, 1-month postoperative: T, and end treatment: T), measurement regions (middle cyst and control area), maxilla, and mandible. The primary and secondary outcome variables were fractal dimension (FD), treatment time, and cyst volume, respectively. Bone healing was evaluated using the fractal analysis method, the results of which are expressed as the FD. Data were analyzed by Friedman repeated measures analysis of variance by ranks, the Wilcoxon rank, Mann-Whitney U, and Kruskal-Wallis tests, Spearman correlation analysis, and linear regression model.

Results: Twenty-three children (9 girls,14 boys) with a mean age of 9.57 ± 2.02 years were included into the study. A comparison of the measurement regions showed that the middle cyst area (1.279 ± 0.090) had significantly lower FD values than control area before decompression (T; P < .001). Statistically significant differences were observed in FD values at T, T, and T (1.279 ± 0.090, 1.311 ± 0.090, and 1.384 ± 0.075) in the middle cyst area (P <. 001). After decompression, no significant difference was found in FD values between the middle cyst (1.384 ± 0.075) and the control area (1.401 ± 0.050).

Conclusions: Decompression resulted in successful bone healing in children with odontogenic cysts. Conservative treatment methods should be preferred due to the continuation of growth and development in pediatric patients.