Tooth impaction is a pathological situation where a tooth fails to attain its normal functional position. Impacted third molars are commonly encountered in routine dental practice. The impaction rate is higher for third molars when compared with other teeth. The mandibular third molar impaction is said to be due to the inadequate space between the distal of the second mandibular molar and the a...

The extraction of impacted mandibular third molars has long been associated with the dreaded and rarely, grave and irreversible complications. The oral and maxillofacial surgeons’ dogma strongly links most complications with the proximity of inferior alveolar canal and the impacted teeth, the relationship of which is still a topic of debate among surgeons. In this randomized, prospective case s...

PURPOSE The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of missing and impacted third molars in people aged 25 years and above. MATERIALS AND METHODS The study sample of 3,799 patients was chosen randomly from patients who visited Pusan National University Dental Hospital and had panoramic radiographs taken. The data collected included presence and impaction state, angulation, and d...

BACKGROUND The purpose of this study was to evaluate the early pathologic changes in the follicular tissue of completely impacted mandibular third molar. MATERIALS AND METHODS 52 patients, between 18 and 52 years of age of which 25 were males and 27 were females, were selected. They had impacted mandibular third molars, which were indicated for extraction. After extraction, the follicle was s...

Damage to the inferior alveolar nerve (IAN) during third molar extraction is a major concern for patients and clinicians. A wide range of the incidence of temporary and permanent neurologic disturbances of the IAN as a consequence of mandibular impacted third molar extraction has been reported in the literature. The incidence of IAN injury reported in the literature ranges from 1.3% to 5.3%. Th...

BACKGROUND The purpose of this study is to determine the type and frequency of pathological conditions around third molar teeth among randomly selected patient's records in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, College of Dentistry, King Saud University, Riyadh. MATERIALS AND METHODS Totally, 281 patient panoramic radiographs were selected with detectable pathology among 570 files of patients seen ...

BACKGROUND Impacted teeth predispose to periodontal disease and dental caries of adjacent teeth resulting in pain, discomfort and loss of function. This study analyzed the pattern of occurrence of impacted teeth, associated symptoms, treatment and complications of treatment in patients who presented at the Muhimbili National Hospital, Tanzania. METHOD This was a crossectional descriptive stud...