Evaluation of difficulty index of impacted mandibular third molar extractions

Abstract

When compared to other teeth, third molars have a greater rate of impaction. Third molars that have been impacted are commonly encountered in dental practice, and it is the reason for complications in third molar surgery. The most commonly performed surgical procedure by dental practitioners is the third molar extraction. Despite a well-planned surgical approach, there are complications in lower third molar extractions. This study analyzes the expected difficulty during surgical removal of lower third molars that are impacted. This study analyzes the expected difficulty during the removal of impacted lower third molars by surgery. With the data from our dental institution database, the difficulty index by Pederson was used to evaluate the difficulty level of the extraction. Using SPSS, data were analyzed and results were obtained. Among impacted left mandibular third molars (38), minimal difficulty in 20.60% of the extractions, moderate difficulty in 29.58% of the extractions, and most difficulty in 2.77% of extractions were present. Among impacted right mandibular third molars (48), minimal difficulty in 18.80% of the extractions, moderate difficulty in 25.78% of the extractions, and most difficulty in 2.47% of extractions were present. According to our study, there is moderate difficulty in impacted lower third molar surgery, and it depends on factors such as systemic status and patient's age, periodontal condition, and complexity of tooth position in the dental arch.