Maxillary and Mandibular Third Molars Impaction with Associated Pathologies in a North Cyprus Population: A Retrospective Study

Abstract

This study aimed to find out the incidence of impacted third molars and associated pathologies in people who live in the North Cyprus population. Dr. Burhan Nalbantoglu State Hospital is the only hospital that has an oral and maxillofacial surgery department among the state hospitals in North Cyprus. Patients who were referred to this department during a one-year period due to the complaints regarding their third molar were included in our study. This retrospective study involved 550 patients aged 16 to 65 years (1752 third molars). Chi-square tests were done for bilateral comparison between age, gender, and third molar (p < 0.05). Among the groups included in the study, the highest number of third molars originated from the 20–29 age group (n = 1050). Among all 1752 third molars, 716 (40%) of them erupted, while 1036 (60%) were impacted molar teeth, with significant differences between genders (p > 0.05). The most often impacted position in the mandible was the mesioangular type (42%) and in the maxilla was the vertical type (62%). Partially and completely impacted mandibular third molars showed a significant difference between the left and right sides (p < 0.05). A huge proportion of third molars are impacted in the North Cyprus population. The degree of impaction of wisdom teeth and the problems they cause should be well evaluated, and the surgical approach should be considered according to the baseline of this data.