The purpose of this study is to determine the prevalence of odontogenic cyst in an Indian population and compare it with various reports from the other geographic areas of the world. The files on odontogenic jaw cysts treated between 2001 and 2011 at the oral and maxillofacial surgery unit were retrieved retrospectively. Patient's demographic information mainly age, sex and location of the lesion was recorded and analyzed using descriptive statistics. The diagnosis of odontogenic cyst accounted in 150 cases and accounted for 15.31 % of all lesions biopsied throughout the period. Mean age of the patient was 32.2 years, and 58 % were males. The overall male to female ratio was 1.38:1. Radicular cyst was most prevalent histological type (48.67 %) followed by dentigerous cyst, odontogenic keratocyst, lateral periodontal cyst, paradental cyst, residual cyst, adult gingival cyst, glandular odontogenic cyst, calcifying odontogenic cyst. The most common locations of the odontogenic cysts were the mandibular (49.33 %) and posterior region (33.33 %). The distribution pattern of odontogenic cyst in this study is relatively similar to that in other parts of the world but there are some geographic differences with regard to the relative frequency, sex, and anatomic distribution of the odontogenic cyst.