Previous reports of odontogenic keratocyst (OKC) and orthokeratinized odontogenic cyst (OOC) with coverage of the old literature have tended to overlook the underlying theme of the first description. From a historical viewpoint, a French paper "kyste butyreux du sinus maxillaire simulant un cancer encéphaloid" published in 1855 by Maisonneuve popularized the notion of so-called "buttery cyst", which ultimately became known as jaw cyst with a keratinized lining. Soon after in 1856, Nélaton presented a case of OKC at the Anatomical Society of Paris, but his brief communication provided little information about its histopathology. It was Mikulicz who conducted, in 1876, a pioneering descriptive pathological study of OKC. In 1886, 10 years after Mikulicz's German report, OOC was first described in detail by Jeannel of Toulouse. The mid to late decades of the nineteenth century saw notable European contributions on the topic.
Keywords: Buttery cyst; Cholesteatoma; Dermoid cyst; Epidermoid cyst; Odontogenic keratocyst; Orthokeratinized odontogenic cyst.