A tumor is an abnormal growth or mass of tissue. A cyst is a lesion that contains liquid or semisolid material. Symptoms and complications depend upon the type of jaw tumors and cysts as follows:
- Ameloblastoma. This is a relatively common, slow-growing, usually noncancerous (benign) tumor. It develops most often in the jaw near the molars and can invade local structures such as bone and soft tissue. This tumor can recur after treatment; however, aggressive surgical treatments will typically reduce the chance of recurrence.
- Central giant cell granuloma. Central giant cell granulomas are benign lesions that most often occur in the front portion of the lower jaw. Some of these tumors can grow rapidly, can cause pain and destroy bone, and have a tendency to recur after surgical treatment. The other types are less aggressive and may not have symptoms. Rarely, a tumor may shrink or resolve on its own, but typically these tumors require surgical treatment.
- Dentigerous cyst. This cyst originates from tissue that surrounds a tooth before it erupts into the mouth. This is the most common form of cyst that affects the jaws. Most often these cysts will occur around wisdom teeth that are not fully erupted, but they can also involve other teeth.
- Odontogenic Keratocyst. Also referred to as keratocystic odontogenic tumor because of its tumor like tendency to recur after surgical treatment, this slow-growing, benign cyst can be destructive to local structures. Most often the cyst develops in the lower jaw near the third molars. These cysts may also be found in people with an inherited condition called nevoid basal cell carcinoma syndrome.
- Odontogenic myxoma. This is a rare, slow-growing, benign tumor that occurs most often in the lower jaw. The tumor can be large and aggressively invade the jaw and surrounding tissue and displace teeth. Odontogenic myxomas are known to recur after surgical treatment; however, the chances of tumor recurrence are typically lessened by aggressive surgical treatment.
- Odontoma. This benign tumor is the most common odontogenic tumor. Odontomas often have no symptoms, but may interfere with tooth development or eruption. Odontomas are made up of dental tissue that grows around a tooth in the jaw. They can resemble an oddly shaped tooth or can be a small or large calcified tumor. These tumors may be part of some genetic syndromes.
- Other types of cysts and tumors. These include adenomatoid odontogenic tumors, calcifying epithelial odontogenic tumors, ameloblastic fibromas, glandular odontogenic cysts, squamous odontogenic tumors, calcifying odontogenic cysts, cementoblastomas, aneurysmal bone cysts, ossifying fibromas, osteoblastomas and central odontogenic fibromas to name a few.
Odontogenic jaw tumors and cysts originate from cells and tissues that are involved in normal tooth development.
Other tumors that affect the jaws can be nonodontogenic, meaning that they can develop from other tissues within the jaws that are not related to the teeth. Generally, the cause of jaw tumors and cysts is not known; however, some are associated with genetic syndromes.
People with nevoid basal cell carcinoma syndrome, also called Gorlin-Goltz syndrome, lack a gene that suppresses tumors. The genetic mutation that causes the syndrome is inherited. This syndrome results in the development of multiple odontogenic keratocysts within the jaws, multiple basal cell skin cancers and other characteristics.
