A Four-Year Monocentric Study of the Complications of Third Molars Extractions under General Anesthesia: About 2112 Patients

Abstract

Introduction. The aim of this study was to assess the complications resulting from third molar extraction under general anesthesia. Material and Methods. The retrospective study included all patients who underwent impacted third molars extraction from January 2008 until December 2011. 7659 third molars were extracted for 2112 patients. Postoperative complications were retrieved from medical files. Results. No complications were related to general anesthesia. The most frequent postoperative complication was infection (7.15%). Lingual nerve injuries affected 1.8% of the patients. All of them were transient and were not related to tooth section. Inferior alveolar nerve injuries were reported in 0.4% of the cases. 95.8% of these patients were admitted for one-day ambulatory care, and only two patients were readmitted after discharge from hospital. Discussion. This surgical technique offers comfort for both surgeons and patients. Risks are only linked to the surgical procedure as we observed no complication resulting from general anesthesia. One-day hospitalization offers a good balance between comfort, security, and cost. The incidence of complications is in agreement with the literature data, especially regarding pain, edema, and infectious and nervous complications. It is of utmost importance to discuss indications with patients, and to provide them with clear information.

Inferior Alveolar Nerve Injury after Mandibular Third Molar Extraction: a Literature Review

“…The surgical treatment contains few stages of treatment: anaesthesia (local/general), flap elevation, if necessary root sectioning and bone removal, elevation/luxation of the tooth, later socket irrigation, and a suture to close the wound. A study published in 2013 by Guerrouani et al [ 49 ] included surgical extraction of 7,659 M3s for 2,112 patients. All surgeries were carried out with the same surgical technique: sulcular incision and flap raising of the first or second molar with subsequent discharge.…”

“…The number of subjects in this study was significantly big (12,842 patients), increasing the reliability of their results. In contrast, some authors [ 50 , 52 , 56 ] didn’t perform neurosensory testing in order to evaluate IANI, only the X-ray examination, while other authors [ 35 , 47 , 49 ] didn’t perform any examination at all, rather than simply asking the patients about their sensory feelings, which may bring uncertainty to the reliability of their results.…”

Assessment of Electrosensitivity of the Pulp of the Mandibular Second Molar after Surgical Removal of an Impacted Mandibular Third Molar

“…It is noteworthy that for 36% of patients, orthodontic indications are the reason for presenting for surgical removal of an impacted wisdom tooth [34]. As reported in a study by Guanghong et al, tooth movement caused by orthodontic forces can cause severe pulp changes associated with blood flow disorders.…”

Evaluation of the Effect of Surgical Extraction of an Impacted Mandibular Third Molar on the Periodontal Status of the Second Molar—Prospective Study

“…There are many papers available in the literature regarding perioperative complications associated with surgical removal of wisdom teeth [ 20 , 21 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 ]. However, the impact of surgical removal of wisdom teeth in the mandible on the postoperative status of the second lower molar is marginalized or completely ignored.…”