Longitudinal Study of Untreated Patients with Impacted Mandibular Wisdom Teeth

Most dentists extract wisdom teeth. The complications and costs of this procedures, different ideas concerning the need to remove of these teeth, was the purpose of this study. Methods and Materials: Two hundred patients had at least one impacted wisdom tooth in the mandible. After clinical and radiographic examination, factors such as: smoking, degree of eruption, type of impaction, periodontal pocket depth, history of pericoronitis were recorded. The results were analyzed with SPSS software and Chi square and odds ratio tests.

After 3 years follow - up, 58 teeth (29%) were extracted. No correlation between the history of pericoronitis at the start of the study and incidence of removal was seen.

the need for prophylactic removal of mandibular impactions is not warranted. We advise more research in this matter.