Prevalence of impacted teeth and associated pathology in middle-aged and older Swedish women

A representative sample comprising 1418 women from five age strata was examined by means of panoramic radiography. The prevalence of impacted teeth and the frequency and type of pathology associated with the impacted teeth were assessed. About 8% of the total sample had one or more impacted teeth. Among those, pathological conditions were found in 16%. Most were moderate and consisted in most cases of a slightly widened follicle or resorption of the crown. A new examination 12 yr later revealed unchanged conditions in 85% of the cases. The changes that had occurred were generally small.