Is there a relationship between mandibular third molar impaction and mandibular morphology?

Area of Science:

• Dentistry
• Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology
• Orthodontics

Background:

• Panoramic radiography is a common tool for assessing third molar teeth impaction.
• Specific radiographic parameters can help predict impaction, reducing reliance on clinical experience alone.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between mandibular morphology and impacted mandibular third molar teeth.
• To determine if measurements from panoramic radiographs can predict third molar impaction.

Main Methods:

• Panoramic radiographs of 330 patients (165 impacted, 165 erupted third molars) were analyzed.
• Nine dimensional, four angular, and one proportional parameter were measured using ImageJ software.
• Statistical analyses included Mann-Whitney U, Kruskal-Wallis, chi-square tests, and correlation analysis.

Main Results:

• Lower condyle length, coronoid length, mandibular corpus width, sigmoid notch depth, retromolar space, and antegonial notch depth were observed in the impacted group.
• The Co/Cr angle was greater, while the alpha angle was greater in the erupted group.
• The ratio of retromolar space to third molar width was greater in the control (erupted) group.

Conclusions:

• Mandibular third molar impaction is significantly correlated with various mandibular morphological parameters.
• Radiographic measurements on panoramic views can potentially predict the likelihood of mandibular third molar impaction.