Epstein's_pearls
Gingival cyst
Medical condition
Gingival cyst, also known as Epstein's pearl, is a type of cysts of the jaws that originates from the dental lamina and is found in the mouth parts. It is a superficial cyst in the alveolar mucosa. It can be seen inside the mouth as small and whitish bulge. Depending on the ages in which they develop, the cysts are classified into gingival cyst of newborn (or infant) and gingival cyst of adult.[1] Structurally, the cyst is lined by thin epithelium and shows a lumen usually filled with desquamated keratin, occasionally containing inflammatory cells. The nodes are formed as a result of cystic degeneration of epithelial rests of the dental lamina (called the rests of Serres).[2]
Gingival cyst was first described by a Czech physician Alois Epstein in 1880.[3] In 1886, a German physician Heinrich Bohn described another type of cyst. Alfred Fromm introduced the classification of gingival cysts in 1967.[4] According to him, gingival cysts of newborns can be further classified based on their specific origin of the tissues as Epstein’s pearls, Bohn’s nodules and dental lamina cysts.[5]