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. 2017 Jan 1;22(1):e108-e114.
doi: 10.4317/medoral.21348.

Predictive factors of difficulty in lower third molar extraction: A prospective cohort study

J Alvira-González  1 , R Figueiredo, E Valmaseda-Castellón, C Quesada-Gómez, C Gay-Escoda
Affiliations

Predictive factors of difficulty in lower third molar extraction: A prospective cohort study

J Alvira-González et al. Med Oral Patol Oral Cir Bucal. .

Abstract

Background: Several publications have measured the difficulty of third molar removal, trying to establish the main risk factors, however several important preoperative and intraoperative variables are overlooked.

Material and methods: A prospective cohort study comprising a total of 130 consecutive lower third molar extractions was performed. The outcome variables used to measure the difficulty of the extraction were operation time and a 100mm visual analogue scale filled by the surgeon at the end of the surgical procedure. The predictors were divided into 4 different groups (demographic, anatomic, radiographic and operative variables). A descriptive, bivariate and multivariate analysis of the data was performed.

Results: Patients' weight, the presence of bulbous roots, the need to perform crown and root sectioning of the lower third molar and Pell and Gregory 123 classification significantly influenced both outcome variables (p< 0.05).

Conclusions: Certain anatomical, radiological and operative variables appear to be important factors in the assessment of surgical difficulty in the extraction of lower third molars.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have declared that no conflict of interest exist.

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