ASSOCIATION BETWEEN DISTAL DECAY IN SECOND MOLAR AND IMPACTED MANDIBULAR THIRD MOLARS: A retrospective study

Abstract

Lower third molars are the most common impacted teeth encountered in clinical practice. There are various pathologies associated with the impacted tooth such as root resorption, distal caries of the adjacent tooth, cyst formation, periapical radiolucency and osteitis. One of the biggest dilemma faced by clinicians is the prophylactic extraction of the impacted third molar as it can lead to potential pathological complications.