Aims and objectives: This study compared the biologic activity of three different cyst types and assessed the value of the AgNOR technique as an aid to diagnosis.
Background: The nucleolar organiser region (NORs) reflect replicatory activities within the cells. It has been found to be of diagnostic value in the prediction of the biologic behaviour of some tumors and even oral epithelial dysplasia.
Materials and methods: Thirty histologically diagnosed H & E sections of cystic lesions consisting of ten (10) radicular, ten (10 dentigerous and ten (10) odontogenic kerotocysts were randomly selected from the record of biopsy services of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital. The paraffin blocks of the selected sections were retrieved for AgNOR staining. For each cyst type the mean and standard deviation of AgNORs/100 cells was calculated and compared with other cyst types using an analysis of variance and student's t-tests.
Results: RESULTS of this study show a statistically significant higher means AgNORs cyst. (p = 0.0016; p = 0.00049 and respectively). However, no statistically significant difference in mean AgNOR score/cell was found when the radicular and dentigerous cysts were compared.
Conclusion: These variations reflect the difference in the proliferation rate of the odontogenic keratocyst, radicular and dentigerous cysts.