Eruption Cyst vs Dentigerous — ORE Part 1 MCQ
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Correct answer: B — An eruption cyst lies in soft tissue over an erupting tooth.
Explanation lettering: E = shown as A · A = shown as B · B = shown as C · C = shown as E
A is correct. An eruption cyst is the soft-tissue counterpart of a dentigerous cyst: it occurs in the mucosa over the crown of a tooth that is erupting. In contrast, a dentigerous cyst is an intraosseous lesion surrounding the crown of an unerupted tooth. Thus, the key distinction is location in relation to eruption. B is incorrect because eruption cysts are regarded as a type or superficial counterpart of dentigerous cysts. C is wrong because these are benign odontogenic cystic lesions. D is false: dentigerous cysts may be associated with a range of unerupted teeth, not solely supernumeraries. E is false because eruption cysts commonly present during eruption in the primary or permanent dentition.
Reference: Chen HS, Huang JS. Eruption cyst. Kaohsiung Journal of Medical Sciences. 1997. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9436349/