Objective To investigate the indications for and anticipated difficulty of third molar surgery between two different referral settings. Design A prospective study involving completion of a proforma pre-and post-operatively. Setting A dental teaching hospital and a specialist surgical dentistry practice in 2003. Subjects and methods Patients referred for the assessment of their third molars were recruited. Details of the clinical and radiographical assessment for each patient were recorded pre-operatively and the extent of surgery required post-operatively. Results The main indication for referral for third molar extraction was pericoronitis in both centres. A larger number of patients were assessed and treated in a shorter period of time at the surgical dentist compared with the dental hospital. The surgical dentist was accurate in his assessment of the difficulty of surgery 96% of the time compared with 66% for the dental hospital staff.
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