Abstract
Our aim was to assess the influence of the presence and state of impaction of mandibular
third molars on the incidence of fractures of the mandibular angle and condyle. We
designed a retrospective study of patients who presented for the treatment of mandibular
fractures from January 2006 to April 2011. The independent variables were the presence
and degree of impaction of lower third molars, and the outcome variables were the
incidence of fractures of the mandibular angle and condyle. The information was acquired
from hospital records and panoramic radiographs. Personal data included age, sex,
mechanism of injuries, and number of fractures of the mandibular angle and condyle.
We studied 110 fractures of the mandibular condyle and 80 of the angle. The incidence
of fractures of the mandibular angle was higher in the group with incompletely erupted
third molars (37/80, p < 0.001) and that of condylar fractures was higher in the group without (67/110, p < 0.001). An incompletely erupted third molar reduces the risk of condylar fractures
and increases the risk of fractures of the mandibular angle.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: July 18, 2011
Accepted:
June 22,
2011
Identification
Copyright
© 2011 The British Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
