ArticleJournal of dental research2013
Retained asymptomatic third molars and risk for second molar pathology.
Article in Journal of dental research, 2013. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 52 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
52 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Prevalence of distal caries in second molar associated with impacted mandibular third molar and the position and level of impaction: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Clinical oral investigations · 2025Pooled it
- Prophylactic removal of impacted mandibular third molars: a systematic review and economic evaluation.Health technology assessment (Winchester, England) · 2020Pooled it
- Surgical removal versus retention for the management of asymptomatic disease-free impacted wisdom teeth.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2020Pooled it
- A systematic review of second molar distal surface caries incidence in the context of third molar absence and emergence.British dental journal · 2020Pooled it
- A novel concentrated growth factor (CGF) and bio-oss based strategy for second molar protection after impacted mandibular third molar extraction: a randomized controlled clinical study.BMC oral health · 2023Trial
- Pathology related to third molars in the elderly persons.Clinical oral investigations · 2015Trial
- An innovative device for scooting impacted third molars away from the inferior alveolar nerve.Clinical oral investigations · 2026Article
- Article
- A Deep Learning Model for Second-Molar Lesions Related to Impacted Third Molars.International dental journal · 2026Article
- Do fully erupted third molars affect the dental and periodontal health of adjacent second molars? A CBCT-based retrospective study in the Yemeni population.BMC oral health · 2025Article
- Retention of Asymptomatic Impacted Third Molars: Effects on Alveolar Bone at the Distal Surface of Second Molars over Time.Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Correlation Between Angular Position and Pathological Changes in Impacted Lower Third Molars: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Dentistry journal · 2025Review
- Oral Microbial and Systemic Lipid Profiles in Patients With Asymptomatic Retained Partially Erupted Third Molars: A Preliminary Cross-Sectional Study.International journal of dentistry · 2025Article
- Comparison of immediate vs. delayed guided tissue regeneration in Infrabony defect of second molars after adjacent third molar extraction: a retrospective study.BMC oral health · 2024Article
- Full life cycle changes of low impacted mandibular third molar associated cystic lesions and adjacent tooth root resorption: a retrospective study.BMC oral health · 2024Article
- Assessing current clinical eruption stage of mandibular third molars by dental panoramic radiography.Acta odontologica Scandinavica · 2024Article
- Transcriptome Sequencing of Gingival Tissues from Impacted Third Molars Patients Reveals the Alterations of Gene Expression.Combinatorial chemistry & high throughput screening · 2024Article
- Relationship between the Status of Third Molars and the Occurrence of Dental and Periodontal Lesions in Adjacent Second Molars in the Polish Population: A Radiological Retrospective Observational Study.Journal of clinical medicine · 2023Article
- Third molar-related knowledge, attitudes, behaviors, and medical history of 904 Chinese adults: a cross-sectional survey.Journal of Zhejiang University. Science. B · 2023Article
- Non-Impacted Third Molars: Angels or Devils?Journal of clinical medicine · 2023Article
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Funding
Abstract
Prophylactic extraction of unerupted asymptomatic third molars is the most common oral surgery procedure in the United States. However, limited evidence exists to justify its costs and associated morbidity. We analyzed data collected over 25 years from 416 adult men enrolled in the Veterans Affairs Dental Longitudinal Study to evaluate the association of retained asymptomatic third molars with risk of adjacent second molar pathology (caries and/or periodontitis), based on third molar status (i.e., absent, erupted, or unerupted). Unerupted molars were further categorized as either "soft tissue" or "bony" impacted. We found that the lowest prevalence and incidence of second molar pathology occurred when the adjacent third molar was absent. The presence of a third molar that was soft tissue impacted increased the risk of incident second molar pathology 4.88-fold (95% confidence interval: 2.62, 9.08). Having an erupted or "bony" impacted third molar increased the risk of incident second molar pathology by 1.74 (95% confidence interval: 1.34, 2.25) and 2.16 (95% confidence interval: 1.56, 2.99), respectively. The retention of third molars is associated with increased risk of second molar pathology in middle-aged and older adult men.
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