ABSTRACT
The classifications of odontogenic cysts, almost without exception, recognize two main groups, developmental and inflammatory. The primordial cyst is a developmental cyst. In its original usage, the term primordial cyst was reserved for cysts which arose from odontogenic epithelial primordia in place of a tooth of the normal dentition. There have been many different classifications of the odontogenic cysts over the years and most of them have formed a practical basis for the understanding and treatment of these lesions, based upon the knowledge existing at the time. The earliest classifications were based primarily upon the varied clinical and radiological presentations of the different forms of cyst, and relatively little note was paid to their histological features. The emergence of oral pathology as a properly recognized specialty in dentistry has lead to a rationalization of these differences and the presentation of more generally acceptable classifications.
