Do Mesial Angled Wisdom Teeth Cause Problems to Adjacent Second Molars
An interesting article titled “Mesial Inclination of Impacted Third Molars and Its Propensity to Stimulate External Root Resorption in Second Molars—A Cone-Beam Computed Tomographic Evaluation” written by Anne Caroline Costa Oenning and et al. appears in the 2015 Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery (vol. 73, pp. 379-386). The authors explore cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) scans to look at the teeth in the mouth. They look at the presence of external root resorption (ERR) in second molars adjacent to horizontally and mesioangular impacted mandibular wisdom teeth. Unlike cavities, ERR is usually asymptomatic and aseptic, unless the pulp cavity has been involved or the lesion has been secondarily infected. Literature attributes the occurrence of this resorption to pressure from an adjacent impacted tooth. This pressure can activate clastic cells responsible for triggering resorption. Studies of periapical and panoramic radiographs have looked … Read more