Inability to work after surgical removal of mandibular third molars

Area of Science:

• Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
• Surgical Outcomes Research

Background:

• Mandibular third-molar removal is a common surgical procedure.
• Assessing postoperative inability to work is crucial for patient management and economic impact analysis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To quantify the inability to work after mandibular third-molar surgery.
• To identify factors associated with prolonged inability to work.
• To estimate the economic burden of sick leave related to this procedure.

Main Methods:

• A prospective study of 201 patients undergoing mandibular third-molar surgery at a specialist clinic.
• Data collected on duration of surgery, smoking habits, patient demographics, pain scores, and analgesic consumption.
• Statistical analysis to determine correlations between variables and inability to work.

Main Results:

• The mean inability to work was 1.07 days (95% CI: 0.91-1.23), with a range of 0-6 days.
• 43% of patients reported no reduction in working ability.
• Prolonged inability to work was associated with longer operation duration (>14 min), heavy smoking (>19 cigarettes/day), and female sex.
• Pain scores and analgesic consumption positively correlated with inability to work (r=0.44 and r=0.41).
• The estimated annual sick-leave cost in Norway was 46.4 million NOK.

Conclusions:

• Postoperative inability to work after mandibular third-molar surgery is generally short.
• Identifying risk factors can help optimize patient counseling and management.
• Surgical third-molar removals represent a significant economic cost due to associated sick leave.