Wisdom Teeth

The Correlation of Mandibular Incisor Crowding and Third Molars in Brazilians

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An article written by Lilian-Harumi Karasawa and 4 others titled ” Cross-sectional study of correlation between mandibular incisor crowding and third molars in young Brazilians,” appears in Med Oral Patol Oral Cir Bucal (currently in press the version I have looked at but was accepted in November 2012). The article sets out to examine the correlation between lower incisor crowding and the mandible third molar (lower wisdom tooth).  The ability of a lower wisdom tooth to have lower incisor crowding has been debated and looked at by many researchers over the years. See for example Review of the Wisdom Behind Third Molar Extractions. The possibility that a lower wisdom tooth can cause crowding is often given as a justification for removing a lower wisdom tooth to prevent abnormal orthodontic conditions. In this study the researchers took 300 healthy Brazilian young … Read more

Dental Anesthesia May Stop the Development of Wisdom Teeth

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An interesting study appears in the April 2013, JADA which looks at whether dentists giving inferior alveolar nerve blocks to young children may be stopping wisdom teeth from later developing. The article is titled “Inferior alveolar nerve block and third-molar agenesis: A retrospective clinical study,” and by Jerry Swee and et al., JADA, April 2013, vol. 144, issue 4, pp. 389-395. In the study the researchers looked at children who had received inferior alveolar nerve block (a local anesthesia) between the years of 2 and 6 at the Tufts dental clinic and also had a dental x-ray taken 3 years or after of being initially treated. The researchers arrived at 439 potential wisdom tooth sites from 220 patient records for their analysis. The control group consisted of 376 potential wisdom tooth sites where it was clear that the child never … Read more

Out of Court Settlement in Wisdom Teeth Removal Death Case

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Previously I have discussed the case where a 17 year old female died unexpectedly after having wisdom teeth removed. She was a junior in high school and died on April 6, 2011, 10 days after the surgery due to suffering a severe brain injury. The autopsy report showed that she died due to lack of oxygen to her brain during the extractions. This is discussed in the blog post 17 Year Old Female Dies After  Wisdom Teeth Removal. Recently, it appears that this case was settled out of court on March 28, 2013. The parents of the female sued both the oral surgeon and anesthesiologist in the case claiming they had shown negligence in failing to revive her after her heart rate slowed to a dangerous level and thereby causing a lack of oxygen to her brain. Unfortunately the conditions … Read more

24 Year Old Man Dies After Wisdom Teeth Removal

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Recently, another unfortunate case has occurred where a 24 year old man has died after having his wisdom teeth removed in California. See this page for some additional information on death from wisdom teeth removal. Also see other blog posts such as this one 14 Year old Boy Dies Within 24 Hours of Having Wisdom Teeth Removed. In this recent case the 24 year old man saw an oral surgeon in California to have wisdom teeth extracted on March 21, 2013. He was given 6 different sedatives including propofol. During the surgery he began to cough and went into cardiac arrest. He was then taken to a hospital and was found to have two pieces of gauze in his airway. He then died three days later. It is not clear if the gauze contributed to his death. An autopsy report … Read more

Examining Hospitalization for the Removal of Wisdom Teeth in Australia

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A recent study titled “Hospitalisation for the surgical removal of impacted teeth: Has Australia followed the international trends?” by George RP, Kruger E, Tennant M., appears in the Australasian Medical Journal (AMJ) vol. 4, issue 8, pp. 425-430, 2011. The study looks at a period of six years between 1999 and 2005 in which patients had impacted teeth removed under general anesthesia in a hospital in Australia. The authors state that the vast majority of teeth that are impacted are wisdom teeth (third molars). A total of 37.6% of all oral health hospitalizations over the six years were for hospitalizations. Most of the patients were females with an average age of 21.6. The majority of patients were hospitalized at a private hospital and privately insured. A total of 47,411 patients were hospitalized in Western Australia for the oral condition ‘Impacted/embedded … Read more