A prospective study by Haug, et al conducted by the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons assessed complications of third molar surgery for patients 25 years of age or older. The study assessed 3,760 patients who had third molar surgery performed by oral and maxillofacial surgeons practicing in the United States. A total of 8,333 third molars were removed. The study evaluated the frequency of complications both intraoperatively and postoperatively, and a total of 63 surgeons performed the procedures. The study found that third molar surgery in patients 25 years of age or older was associated with minimal morbidity, a low incidence of postoperative complications, and minimal impact on quality of life for the patients. The postoperative problem most frequently encountered was alveolar osteitis, with a frequency of 0.2% to 12.7%; postoperative inferior alveolar nerve anesthesia/paresthesia occurred with a frequency of 1.1% to 1.7%; and lingual nerve anesthesia/parethesia occurred with a frequency of 0.3%. All other complications occurred with a frequency of less than 1%. The study concludes that removal of third molars in an adult patient population is a safe surgical procedure.
(Source: Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Vol. 63, No. 8, 2005)
