The crowns of unerupted teeth are normally surrounded by a soft tissue remnant known as the dental follicle. Radiographically, dental follicle appears as a thin pericoronal radiolucency considered normal by some authors when it is less than 3mm thick and by others when it is no thicker than 2.5mm. Literature has revealed that the dental follicle can be the origin of several types of diseases during or after odontogenesis. Hamartomas, odontogenic tumors and odontogenic cysts like dentigerous cysts are common ones. Histomorphologically dentigerous cyst originating from the ectomesenchymal odontogenic tissue, is markedly similar to dental follicular and dental papillary tissue. Furthermore, it is assumed that a small pericoronal radiolucency associated with an impacted tooth; which is less than 2.5 mm may represent a normal or enlarged dental follicle.  The objective of the present study was to carry out a comparative radiographic, histological and surgical analysis of follicular tissue, with the aim of detecting differentiating features in a dental follicle and a small dentigerous cyst.
Key words: Dental follicle, Dentigerous cyst, Reduced enamel epithelium