A suspected case of dentigerous cyst: the silent personage

Introduction: Dentigerous cyst is an asymptomatic, slow growing swelling commonly associated with the impacted third molars and is a true developmental pathology. The distinction between dentigerous cyst and a hyperplastic follicle is unclear on the routine radiographs and poses a diagnostic enigma. Case report: This report describes a case of an incidentally discovered dentigerous cyst associated with an impacted mandibular third molar in a 34 year old male patient with no symptoms or clinical signs. Conclusion: Cone Beam Computed Tomography (CBCT) imaging helped to visualize the entire extent of the cyst, following which the tooth was extracted, cyst enucleated and histopathological examination performed; which confirmed the diagnosis of a dentigerous cyst.