Jaw cysts are thought to form from the rests of tissue close to the soft tissue from which teeth develop in early life. They are therefore t be found in those parts of the jaw which normally bear teeth. In Gorlin Syndrome, the cysts are to be found in both jaws with equal frequency, a point of distinction from keratocysts found in non-Gorlin cysts, where the lower jaw predominates.

The cysts have been relatively large before they cause problems and most are detected on x-ray examination. Repeated x-rays over many years may be necessary to reveal a cyst. There is no other test that can show a lesion with the clarity of an x-ray.

Treatment for the cysts is surgical removal. This is an operation which requires exposure of the lesion by making a hole in the jaw bone under anaesthetic, finding the lining of the cyst and removing this together with its cheese-like contents. This material is sent to a pathologist for examination under a microscope, to confirm the diagnosis.

Cysts which recur after such treatment, are removed as before but with a layer of bone at the margin of the cyst. This is to ablate any daughter cysts which my be forming in this region. Only in extreme cases is it advisable to resect a whole section of jaw bone (with a bone graft to replace the missing bone).

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