The Risk of Future Extraction of Wisdom Teeth

An interesting study titled “What is the Risk of Future Extraction of Asymptomatic Third Molars? A Systematic Review,” written by Gary F. Bouloux and et al., appears in the May 2015 issue of the Journal of Oral and Maxilofacial Surgery (vol. 73, issue 5). The study attempts to determine the annual and cumulative rate of when asymptomatic wisdom teeth become necessary to remove. The authors state that the management of asymptomatic wisdom teeth is controversial and unresolved. They performed a systematic review of past studies using PubMed, Google Scholar, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials on retained wisdom teeth. The authors had several criteria necessary for the study to be included in their analysis. The studies were included if they were an English language publication, were a prospective study design, had more than 50 subjects, had recorded the … Read more

Wisdom Teeth Conspiracy: Electronic Eavesdropping Device

This story may sound a bit bizarre but actually is true. In the 1989 a U.S. Air Force veteran requested copies of his dental treatment records from the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center in New Hampshire. He believed he had dental treatment at this facility in 1981 and “….sought his dental records because he believed an electronic eavesdropping device had been planted in his mouth after his wisdom teeth were removed.” Unfortunately at this time the medical records were on paper and the dental records never turned up. So I guess this begs the question of whether or not a listening device can be planted in a tooth extraction socket. I think the technology may be there and it may be possible but I highly doubt this a common occurrence. I suppose this could be possible with a radio-frequency … Read more