The diagnosis of a radicular cyst is usually made on the basis of the patient’s history, clinical course, and physical examination. Further medical device diagnosis may be required for differential diagnosis.
Obligatory medical device diagnostics.
- Radiographs
- Panoramic radiograph [larger cysts]
- Tooth film [smaller cysts]
- Bite recording lower jaw (for 3rd dimension).
- Computed tomography (CT) axial [large maxillary cysts].
Radiologic features of a radicular cyst
- Sharply demarcated, uniformly translucent brightening
- Periapical (“around the root tip”; radicular cyst).
- Lateral at lateral canal (lateral radicular cyst).
- Interradicular (“located between the roots of the teeth”) in deciduous teeth.
- Primarily located in the alveolar process (part of the jaw where the tooth compartments = alveoli are located).
- Opening of the periodontal gap (gap between the tooth root and the alveolus (bony tooth compartment) in the jawbone) into the cyst lumen – root tip protrudes into the whitening (not in deciduous teeth).
- Limitation by cortical lamella
