ABSTRACT
Aim: To investigate the distribution of odontogenic cysts in patients aged 0 to 18, referred toDepartment of Pathology, University Hospital of the Federal University of Maranhão, Brazil, todetermine the most common types of lesions and their distribution according to gender and anatomicalsite involved. Methods: Histopathological data were collected from a database of lesions classifiedas odontogenic cysts that were indicated for surgical removal and histopathological analysis. Datawere subjected to descriptive analysis. Results: Thirty cases of odontogenic cysts were identified,and dentigerous cysts were the most frequent (n=17). Most occurrences were in males (66.7%)and the most frequent site was the posterior mandible (73.3%). Conclusions: Odontogenic cystsin children and adolescents are mostly developmental cysts, especially dentigerous cysts, occurringpredominantly in males, with a predilection for the posterior mandible.