Is radiographic appearance a reliable indicator for the absence or presence of pathology in impacted third molars.

ABSTRACT

In dental practice, impacted third molar teeth are a common finding. The dentists usually remove them if they are associated with some radiographic finding suggestive of a cyst or a tumor or if they cause pain or resorption of the adjacent teeth. It has been found that, in many cases, even the radiographically and clinically asymptomatic impacted mandibular third molars are associated with some pathology. This paper brings into the light two cases with clinically and radiographically normal impacted third molar teeth associated with dentigerous cyst, thus highlighting that the radiographic appearance is not a reliable indicator of the absence or presence of pathology associated with the impacted third molars.