RESUMO
The aim of the present study was to examine the relative frequency, the age, sex and site distribution and the malignant transformation of the odontogenic keratocysts diagnosed in Benghazi, Libya and compare the results with similar data from other parts of the world. A total of 21 odontogenic keratocysts have been retrieved from 442 cysts of the jaws and the oral soft tissue diagnosed in the Oral Medicine andPathology Department, Dental School, Benghazi, in the period of 1989. The results showed that the relative frequency was 4.8% the age range was 10-65 years, the mean age of the index cyst was 29.3 years [S.D. 16.3], the M:F ration was 2.5:1 The mandible was more affected than maxilla and the molar-ramus area is the most common site. None of the 21 keratocysts included in this study showed any malignant transformation. The results were found to concur with many of the studies in other parts of the world