[Wisdom teeth in the fracture line]

The evaluation of 139 mandibular fractures with wisdom teeth in the fracture line permits to draw the following conclusions: 1. Partially retained teeth in the fracture line frequently lead to infections. For this reason, they should be removed on principle prior to immobilization. 2. Retained teeth or tooth germs caused in no case an infection; consequently, they must not be removed. 3. Fully erupted teeth produced but occasionally an infection of the fracture line. In such cases, the therapy will depend on the functional value of the respective tooth.