The study has been approved by the Institutional Ethical Committee vide letter no IEC GDCH/OS.3/2019 dated. The Institutional Ethical Committee gave clearance for this study. of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery from 2018 to 2020. This prospective study was conducted on 30 patients having cystic lesions in the maxilla and mandible in the Dept. It also studied volume reduction correlation with the age and gender of patients, the initial size of the cyst, duration of treatment, and the histology of the cyst. This study was performed to clinically and radiographically assess the quantitative effectiveness of dredging in terms of reduction in cyst area and volume. Dredging as a treatment modality is exclusively reserved for such large lesions only, irrespective of their recurrence potential. The primary reason for doing dredging is not to prevent recurrence but principally to prevent large bony defects due to resection of such large lesions either primarily or due to pathological fracture after enucleation. Repetitive removal of cystic lining and scar tissues from the bone cavity accelerates new bone formation followed by peripheral osteotomy or resection of much smaller portions of bone as definitive treatment, thereby significantly reducing final morbidity. The aim is to reduce intracystic pressure via continuous drainage, so allowing newer growth centripetally from the bony walls. It comprises three entities-decompression, followed by repeated scraping of the lesion, and finally, peripheral ostectomy providing margin clearance but without significant morbidity. “Dredging” may be considered the “middle path” between conservative and radical treatment options.

While there is no consensus on optimal treatment, complications and morbidity need to be avoided, particularly with large cysts. On the other hand, conservative options like marsupialization lead to the preservation of vital structures, but remnants of the epithelial lining may lead to recurrence requiring further surgical treatment. Radical treatment options for large cystic lesions such as segmental/marginal resection reduce the rate of recurrence but produce greater morbidity and deformity of the jaws. Treatment modalities of cystic lesions of the jaws range from conservative to radical.

Dredging up meaning