Monitoring for Periodontal Inflammatory Disease in the Third Molar Region

Baldwin, Carrie

Monitoring for Periodontal Inflammatory Disease in the Third Molar Region

Raymond White Jr. DDS, PhD, UNC School of Dentistry, Professor Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at UNC, Chapel Hill, NC

Carrie A. Baldwin DMD, MD, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC

Brent A Golden DDS, MD, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC

Colin Sherwood BS, Author, Chapel Hill, NC

Omar Abdelbaky BS, Author, Chapel Hill, NC

Steven Offenbacher DDS, PhD, MMSc, NC Oral Health Institute, UNC School of Dentistry, Durham, NC

Ceib Phillips MPH, PhD, Department of Orthodontics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC

Purpose: Assess changes in periodontal status of the 3rd molar region at two year intervals in subjects enrolled with asymptomatic 3rd molars and all 3rd molar region periodontal probing depths less than 4mm.

Subjects and Methods: The sub-sample included subjects at enrollment from the larger longitudinal study, all those with a healthy periodontal status (all PD <4mm) in the 3^rd molar region, the distal of 2^nd molars and around adjacent 3^rd molars. Full mouth periodontal probing (PD) data, 6 sites per tooth, were obtained clinically at enrollment and at subsequent two year intervals. Data were aggregated to the subject level. Outcome variables were finding periodontal pathology, at least one PD>4mm, or not in the 3^rd molar region at each follow-up interval.

Results: 129 subjects had all PD<4mm at enrollment. Most subjects were Caucasian, 85%, female, 60%, below 25 years old, 62%, and were educated beyond high school, 84%. At two years follow-up 4% subjects had 3^rd molars removed; 34% subjects had developed at least one PD>4mm in the 3^rd molar region. At four years excluding those lost to follow-up 24% subjects had had 3^rd molars removed, 27% subjects had developed at least one PD>4mm in the 3^rd molar region. At six years excluding those lost to follow-up 47% subjects had had 3^rd molars removed, and 21% subjects, had developed at least one PD>4mm in the 3^rd molar region.

Conclusions: Though not all subjects could be followed for six years after enrollment or chose to retain 3^rd molars, a third of subjects at six years after enrollment maintained 3^rd molar region periodontal probing depths less than 4mm.