The Evolution of Third Molars in Orthodontics: What about Anterior Dental Crowding? - A Systematic Review

Abstract

Background: Third molar influence on anterior crowding is controversial, However, it is assumed that they play a major role in compromising dental arch space. Aim: To review the literature to clarify the role of third molars in anterior crowding and relapse after orthodontic treatment by means of a systematic review. Material and methods: A systematic search was conducted based on an electronic search of several databases (Pub Med, ScienceDirect, Cochrane Library) covering publications from 2010 to January 2022. The search was performed using the acronym PICOS, limited to the following keywords in English and French: «wisdom tooth» OR« third molar »AND «anterior teeth crowding». Results: On the basis of the keywords, 549 bibliographical references were initially identified. After the elimination of duplicate references and studies, the number of articles was reduced to 315. A review of titles and abstracts resulted in the selection of 23 articles. After reading the full text, 6 articles were included in this systematic review. Conclusion: No relationship between the incisors crowding and the presence of third molars was identified. Therefore, the indication for prophylactic removal of third molars to avoid incisor crowding is not justified.

Oral Health Status and Treatment Needs Based on Artificial Intelligence (AI) Dental Panoramic Radiograph (DPR) Analysis: A Cross-Sectional Study

“…Some orthodontists and oral surgeons recommend extracting third molars to prevent the crowding of teeth upon their eruption [30]. However, recent studies do not present sufficient evidence to advocate the preventive removal of wisdom teeth to obtain occlusal stability [31,32]. The study of Dosumu et al showed poor knowledge of the consequences of missing teeth among patients with partial edentulism [28].…”

“…[42] Implants were often inserted around tooth FDI 26/UNS 14 (6 times). In the study group, implants were not placed in the place of teeth FDI 18,17,28,38,37,[34][35][36][37][38][39][40][41][42][43][44]47,48/UNS 1,2,16,17,18,[21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28]31,32. According to a report concerning trends in dental implants in the US in 1999-2016, most were placed in posterior sites, almost equally in the maxilla and mandible [43]. The anterior maxillary region, being an aesthetic zone, requires special attention in the treatment plan to eliminate the risk of positioning errors, considering gingival phenotype, the width of the edentulous space, and bone anatomy at the alveolar crest [44].…”

Three-dimensional relationship between the degree of bilateral impacted mandibular third molars angulation and the mandibular dental arch parameters: a cross-sectional comparative study

“…Even though a recently published systematic review reported that only 6 studies were selected in the quantitative synthesis and none of these studies used CBCT for evaluation of such 3D problem [17]. Thus, there is a great inconsistency in studies regarding to the relationship of IM3M and other dental arch parameters like anterior crowding, at the same time using more reliable diagnostic tool like 3D CBCT to add well designed study with comprehensive three-dimensional measurements to the existing literature.…”