Prevalence of cysts and tumors around the retained and unerupted third molars in the Indian population

AimTooth impaction is a frequent phenomena and surgical removal of these teeth are the commonest of the dental surgical procedures. The debate over the removal of asymptomatic impacted third molars still continues. The aim of this retrospective study was to determine the incidence of development of cysts and tumors around the retained and unerupted third molars in the Indian population.Material and methods5486 impacted third molars of 4133 patients were studied through the panoramic radiographs for the presence of associated cysts and tumors. The ages of the patients ranged from 17 to 67 years, with a mean of 33.7 years. The results were evaluated using the Pearson chi-square test. P-values less than 0.05 were considered to be statistically significant.ResultsThere were 134 cysts (2.24%) and 63 tumors (1.16%) found that were associated with impacted third molars, of which 3 were malignant (0.05%). 143 patients had symptoms such as swelling or pain due to cystic or neoplastic lesions. The remainder 54 patients had no symptoms suggestive of pathology. The most common cyst was dentigerous cyst and the most common tumor was ameloblastoma.ConclusionThe results indicate that cysts and tumors do develop in a relatively small but still considerable minority of patients. The fact that a considerable number of patients had no signs or symptoms indicating pathology is certainly worth considering. Consultation should be sought from dental specialists if there are symptoms in the third molar region.