Wisdom teeth and periodontal damage of second molars
An interesting article titled “Third molars and periodontal damage of second molars in the general population,” written by Kindler et al. appears in the Journal of Clinical Periodontology, (vol. 45, pp. 1365-1374, 2018). The article explores the association between impacted or erupted wisdom teeth and periodontal pathology using probing depth and clinical attachment levels. Additional information on periodontal probing depth and a wisdom tooth’s effect on adjacent second molars can be found on the Risks of Keeping Wisdom Teeth page on this website. In previous works impacted wisdom teeth have been identified as a risk factor for developing tumors, dental cysts, and other pathology in adjacent second molars. Even without periodontal symptoms, periodontal damage on the distal aspect of second molars can be present. In the article the authors looked at data from a population-based Study of Health in Pomerania (specifically West Pomerania, … Read more