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Published on: January 13, 2023
Predictive factors of difficulty in lower third molar extraction: A prospective cohort study
J Alvira-González1, R Figueiredo, E Valmaseda-Castellón
1Faculty of Dentistry - University of Barcelona, Campus de Bellvitge UB; Facultat d'Odontologia, C/ Feixa Llarga, s/n; Pavelló Govern, 2 planta, Despatx 2.9, 08907 L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain, rui@ruibf.com.
Background:
Several publications have measured the difficulty of third molar removal, trying to establish the main risk factors, however several important preoperative and intraoperative variables are overlooked.
Material And Methods:
A prospective cohort study comprising a total of 130 consecutive lower third molar extractions was performed. The outcome variables used to measure the difficulty of the extraction were operation time and a 100mm visual analogue scale filled by the surgeon at the end of the surgical procedure. The predictors were divided into 4 different groups (demographic, anatomic, radiographic and operative variables). A descriptive, bivariate and multivariate analysis of the data was performed.
Results:
Patients' weight, the presence of bulbous roots, the need to perform crown and root sectioning of the lower third molar and Pell and Gregory 123 classification significantly influenced both outcome variables (p< 0.05).
Conclusions:
Certain anatomical, radiological and operative variables appear to be important factors in the assessment of surgical difficulty in the extraction of lower third molars.
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