Clinicopathological comparison of periapical cyst and periapical granuloma in a cohort of Tamil population

Abstract

Aim: The aim of this study was to present and analyze detailed clinicopathological data of periapical cysts (PCs) and periapical granuloma (PG) in a cohort of 135 cases from the South Indian Population. Methodology: The present study included 135 cases of PC and PG out of 2696 biopsies submitted over 3 years. The clinicodemographic data which included age, gender, location, radiographic appearance, and treatment were collected along with the histopathological examination of the biopsied specimen. Data were entered in a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet, 2021, and analyzed using SPSS software ver. 26. Results: There were 71 cases of PG and 64 cases of PC. The mean age of occurrence in PG was slightly lower than cases in PC. Irrespective of the group, there was a clear male preponderance, and maxillary permanent central incisors were most commonly affected. However, no significant difference was noted. Radiographically, PC significantly showed more well-defined corticated radiolucent lesions compared to PG where most cases were ill-defined (69.01%). Histologically, all cases showed classic features for diagnosis with additional histological characteristics which may aid in diagnosis. Conclusion: PG was more common than PC. There was a predilection for the male gender in both lesions. The actual incidence of these lesions would be actually high, as some cases are lost to private practitioners, and not all the lesions are submitted for histopathological examination.