Prevalence of impacted teeth in adult patients: A radiographic study

Abstract

Aim: To determine the prevalence of impacted teeth in relation to angulation of impaction, sex, age and medical history. Methods: A retrospective study of panoramic radiographs of 2,008 patients was carried out. The investigation was done to relate the impaction to the angulation of tooth and patient's age, sex and medical history. Patients dental records were randomly selected by computerized selection and data collected and entered into a spreadsheet (Excel 2010; Microsoft) and analyzed. Results: Panoramic radiographs of 2,008 patients aged 22 to 60 years were examined. The prevalence of teeth impaction was 17.5%. A total of 248 patients presented with at least one impacted tooth. Four hundred and two impacted teeth found. Mandibular third molars were the most commonly encountered impactions 106. The mesial angulations was the most common pattern of impaction. Prevalence was higher among those less than 40 years compared to above 40 years (p