Comparative study of variability of position of impacted third molars patients in teens and young adults

Abstract

The aim of this study was establish the prevalence of the position of the third molar. This objective was accomplished using panoramic x-ray. Our variables in concern were the most frequent position and the distribution between genders of this tooth. These x-rays were selected by the following inclusion criteria: existence of the second molar in the hemi-arcade and presence of the non-erupted third molar in the hemi-arcade. We used 100 x-rays, which 42% showed all third molars, 15% showed three, 31% showed two, 9% showed one and 3% showed no third molars. As a result, we found that in all third molars, the most frequent position was the mesio-angular in both genders. We also found that the most frequent position of non-erupted third molar, in both genders, was a mesio-angular, followed by the positions vertical, disto-angular and horizontal.