Wisdom teeth removal 

  • The removal of impacted wisdom teeth is one of the most common operations carried out in the UK (1)
  • There are about 50,000 wisdom teeth extraction operations in England each year (2)
  • Around three out of four people in their 20s (the age at which wisdom teeth commonly appear) had an impacted wisdom tooth in the lower jaw (3)
  • The prevalence of dry socket (alveolar osteitis) following surgical and non-surgical extraction of wisdom teeth is much higher in smokers than in non-smokers (4)
 

Infolinks:
British Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
British Dental Association
British Dental Health Foundation

References:
1) Song, O'Meara & Wilson et al
The effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of prophylactic removal of wisdom teeth
Health Technology Assessment (2000); 4: pp 1-55
2) National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE)
Guidance on removal of wisdom teeth
Accessed on 2 May 2009
3) Hugoson & Kugelberg
The prevalence of third molars in a Swedish population: an epidemiological study
Journal of Community Dental Health (1988); 5: pp 121-138
4) Nusair & Younis
Prevalence, Clinical Picture, and Risk Factors of Dry Socket
The Journal of Contemporary Dental Practice, Volume 8, No. 3, Mar 1 2007

 

 
 

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