Soft tissue pathosis associated with asymptomatic impacted lower third molars

Objective: The aim of this study was to identify the prevalence of pathological changes in the pericoronal tissue of asymptomatic impacted lower third molars and to assess the correlation between pathological changes and patient demographic, radiographic and morphological characteristics.Study Design: Follicles associated with fully impacted lower third molars were submitted for histological examination after surgical extraction from 50 patients. The correlation between pathological changes in the dental follicleand age, gender, depth of impaction, angular position, and coverage and tooth development was analyzed.Results: Cystic changes were observed in 10% of specimens and inflammatory changes in 62%. Incidence of pathological changes was significantly higher in Class B impacted teeth when compared to Class C impacted teeth. Asignificant correlation was found between epithelial cell activity and the completion of tooth development.Conclusion: We recommend monitoring all third molars whether or not they are symptomatic and conducting histopathological analyses on all surgically extracted follicle tissue (AU)

Prevalence of impacted premolars in a Turkish population andconsiderations for surgical treatment

Objective: The aim of this study was to identify the prevalence, associated pathology and symptoms, and treatmentof impacted premolars in a Turkish population.Study Design: This retrospective study examined panoramic radiographs and clinical records of 9,000 patientswho presented consecutively at our oral and maxillofacial surgery clinics between January 1998 and January2009. In addition to demographic data (patient sex and age), data was compiled on the number and location ofimpacted missing maxillary and mandibular premolars, retained deciduous molars, associated pathologies andsymptoms, and treatment methods.Results: A total of 105 impacted maxillary or mandibular premolars were observed in 93 patients (1.03%). Ofthese, 48 (51.6%) were female (age range: 13-57 years) and 45 (43.4%) were male (age range: 13-58 years). Impactedmandibular second premolars accounted for 55.2% (n=58) of all impacted premolars. Migration was observedin only 11.83% of patients (n=11). Pathological changes and symptoms were noted in 15.05% of patients.Conclusion: Our results suggest that the prophylactic extraction of non-migrated impacted premolars may not benecessary. If the patient is cooperative, a “wait and see” approach may be preferable. Orthodontic or prosthetictreatment options should also be considered when planning treatment of non-migrated impacted premolars. Migratedimpacted premolars should be kept under observation and should only be removed if they are associatedwith pathology or if extraction is required for prosthetic or orthodontic treatment (AU)

No disponible

Non-syndromic supernumerary premolars

Objective: The objective of this study was to estimate the incidence of non-syndromic supernumerary premolars,to classify them and to identify the complications related to them.Study Design: This retrospective cohort study was composed of 8400 panoramic radiographs of patients whopresented at our Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Services from January 1998 to May 2008. The number of supernumerarypremolars, their localization, the ages and the sex of the patients, any associated complications andtreatment methods were estimated.Results and Conclusion: A total of 20 supernumerary premolar teeth were found in 10 of the 8400 patients (0.24%) with7 of those being females and three males. Three patients had pain localized to the mental foramen and one patient hadresorption in the root of the adjacent tooth. In these series, 18 supernumerary premolar teeth were extracted. In contrastwith previous studies, this study suggested that this phenomenon is more frequently encountered in females than inmales. The presence of complications associated with the supernumerary premolars in 4 patients necessitated considerationof surgical intervention as a treatment choice for these teeth. Otherwise, they should be kept under observation (AU)