Developmental cysts of the maxilla and mandible (i.e. jaw) may be subdivided into nonodontogenic and odontogenic types. Nonodontogenic cysts lie in the jaw but do not contain tooth derivatives. A fissural cyst is a type of nonodontogenic cysts arising along lines of fusion of embryonic structures.

In contradistinction, odontogenic cysts are derived from embedded remnants of odontogenic (tooth forming) epithelium. The most common type of odontogenic cyst is the radicular cyst which occurs after the eruption of the involved tooth and surrounds the root of the tooth.

The second most common type of odontogenic cyst - the dentigerous cyst - is associated with an unerupted tooth. The dentigerous cysts are unilocular, as opposed to the odontogenic cysts that are multilocular - ameloblastoma and keratocysts — and also surrounds an unerupted tooth. They are more often found in the mandible (70%) as compared to the maxilla. Dentigerous cysts have a non-keratinizing epithelium.

The odontogenic keratocyst is similar, but has a keratinizing epithelium and may be multilocular.