Third molar impaction: evaluation of the symptoms and pattern of impaction of mandibular third molar teeth in Nigerians.

Three hundred and thirty eight patients between the ages of 16 and 54 years (mean 24.4, standard deviation 6.1 years) were seen. They presented with 473 impacted mandibular third molars. A total of 341 (72.09%) impaction were seen in patients between the ages of 16 to 25 years, while 420 (88.8%) impaction were seen between the ages of 16 to 30 years. Assessing the level of impaction using Pell and Gregory classification showed that 358 (54.55%) impaction were in position A, 151 (31.92%) were in position B while 64 (13.53%) were in position C. One hundred and seven (22.62%) were in position I, 288 (60.89%) were in position II, while 78 (16.49%) were in position III. Of the 473 impacted mandibular third molars, 323 (68.29%) had symptoms of pain. Two hundred and seventy two (57.51%) impacted teeth were associated with pathology. Out of these, 203 (42.92%) were pericoronitis and periodontal disease, 66 (13.95%) were caries, while 3 (0.63%) were associated with cysts. In conclusion, the level of impaction suggests that a remarkable number of impacted mandibular third molars should be removed under general anesthesia. There is need for further studies to determine the levels of impaction, the types of anesthesia used during extraction and the outcome.