Wisdom Teeth

Dental Age Estimation Using MRI of Wisdom Teeth

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Recently, three articles have been published on this site regarding using wisdom teeth to estimate age: 1) forensic age estimation using wisdom teeth, 2) using panoramic x-rays of lower wisdom teeth to legally prove if someone is older than 18 years and 21 years , and 3) Using lower wisdom teeth developmental stages determined from panoramic x-rays to calculate age. All such articles use panoramic x-rays of wisdom teeth in order to attempt to estimate the age of the person they came from. However, recently there has also been articles describing using Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) of wisdom teeth to predict age. One article is by Baumann et al. “Dental age estimation of living persons: Comparison of MRI with OPG,” Forensic Science International, vol. 253, pp. 76–80, 2015. Another article is by Guo et al. “Dental age estimation in living individuals using … Read more

Federal Legislation to Limit the Amount of Money Recoverable From Medical and Dental Lawsuits Harms Patients

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Wisdom teeth surgery is often performed in young adults in their late teenage years or twenties and results in up to 10% of all cases complications. Some of these complications can be life altering and either prolong for a long period of time or be permanent. Sometimes patients feel as if they have been wronged by their doctor and file a lawsuit. However, many might be surprised to know that a single liability insurance OMSNIC insures the vast majority (over 80%) of all oral and maxillofacial surgeons in the U.S. and that the vast majority (over 90%) of such lawsuits are found in favor of the oral and maxillofacial surgeons. As a result of this very few patients recover money after filling a lawsuit. To make matters worse many states in the U.S. including California and Texas have laws that … Read more

Using lower wisdom teeth developmental stages determined from panoramic x-rays to calculate age

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Recently, two articles have been published on this site regarding forensic age estimation using wisdom teeth and using panoramic x-rays of lower wisdom teeth to legally prove if someone is older than 18 years and 21 years. In the first study the age of a person was determined from wisdom teeth x-rays based on four stages of the emergence of a wisdom tooth using both upper and lower wisdom teeth. In the second study the age of a person was determined from wisdom teeth x-rays based on the presence and extension of periodontal space (periodontal ligament) and also the presence of root pulp of lower wisdom teeth based on four stages. In order to explore more precise predictions of the age of a person using wisdom teeth x-rays, a study was conducted using several radiological measurable findings in an article … Read more

Profit Motives in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Utilizing Sedation

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Recently on this site it was discussed how guidelines have come out from the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD) and American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommending when deep sedation or general anesthesia is given to children in dental offices there should be two trained individuals present. One individual should provide the dentistry and the other individual is responsible to administer the sedation or anesthesia and to observe the patient for any adverse events. This goes against the single provider model that has been advocated by the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons (AAOMS) and is typically utilized for wisdom teeth removal in the United States of America, where the oral surgeon performs both the dentistry and the administration of sedation or anesthesia. Some have criticized the AAOMS position of a single provider model for its focus on profit … Read more

Risks of Keeping Wisdom Teeth: Infected Wisdom Tooth Removal Leads to Sepsis

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Recently a case of a 25 year old woman from England who developed an infected wisdom tooth has been reported. The woman had the infected wisdom tooth removed in December 2018 after repeated infections had developed. Unfortunately the surgery was eventful and the woman developed complications. Two days after the extraction the woman was not able to hold down any food nor any water. She was urged to go to a hospital by a doctor and spent four days at a hospital. While at the hospital she went into septic shock and was diagnosed with sepsis. She was given intravenous antibiotics and liquids. It was believed that when the wisdom tooth was removed the infection that was present went into her bloodstream. When she was released from the hospital the woman was given six different medications to take. Roughly six … Read more