Alveolar bone repair following extraction of impacted mandibular third molars

Bone regeneration following extraction of impacted mandibular third molars was measured on 83 preoperative and postoperative radiographs. The patient sample was divided into two age groups, 20 to 29 years and 30 to 50 years. Postoperatively, there was an average net gain of 2.15 mm in bone level. The degree of bone healing is affected primarily by age and, to a lesser extent, by the presence of generalized inflammation (periodontitis).