Atypical migration of an impacted lower third molar

This report describes the atypical migration of an impacted lower third molar tooth in a 42-year-old woman. Serial radiographs showed that, over a period of 13 years, the tooth migrated from its original disto-angular position posterior to and beneath the roots of the adjacent second molar to a more horizontal position beneath the roots of the first permanent molar. The tooth was surgically removed under general anaesthesia, with biopsy and curettage of soft tissue found in the bone posterior to the tooth along the path of migration. This pattern of tooth movement is highly unusual in an adult patient.