A retrospective study: Do all impacted teeth cause pathology?

Abstract

Objective: The objective of this study is to determine the incidence of impacted teeth and the frequency of pathologies they caused by cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) retrospectively. Materials and Methods: In this study, 608 patients’ CBCT images were analyzed retrospectively. Detected impacted teeth were classified as incisor, canine, premolar, molar, third molar, and supernumerary teeth. The pathologies caused by impacted teeth are classified as cysts or tumors, tooth decay, root resorptions, and periodontal bone loss. Results: Impacted teeth were detected in 34.37% of the 608 CBCT images included in the study. The distribution of impacted teeth was 9.4% incisor, 29.4% canine, 9.9% premolar, 2.9% molar, 9.3% supernumerary, and 39.9% third molar teeth. Approximately 63.7% of the impacted teeth caused a pathology. The pathology that was most commonly caused by impacted teeth was periodontal bone loss (44.4%), and respectively others were root resorptions (33.3%), cysts or tumors (8.6%), and tooth decay (2.3%). The most common cause of this pathology was right mandibular third molar teeth. Conclusion: Impacted teeth were common and they often caused a pathology. CBCT is a useful device to assess the impacted teeth. When the impacted teeth are evaluated, each tooth should be assessed within itself. If the impacted teeth are not caused by pathology, they can be kept under control.