Study of Prevalence of Caries on Distal Side of Second Mandibular Molar Due To Impacted Mandibular Third Molar

Abstract

Background: Distal caries are commonly seen in the second mandibular molar in the incidence of impacted mandibular third molars. This might result in the need for root canal treatment or even extraction of the second molar along with third molar. The present study was done to study the prevalence of distal caries of second mandibular molars due to impacted mandibular third molar. Methods: The study included 107 patients presented to the clinics of college of dentistry, Jazan University, Saudi Arabia with various complaints. The cases observation started on the 1st of January 2017 and ended on the 15th of February 2017. The presence of distal caries on the second molars was recorded along with various angulations of the impacted wisdom tooth. All the data were collected and analyzed using percentage analysis. Results: Panoramic radiographs of 107 patients were studied. The patients were in the age range of 19 to 45 years. Out of 107 patients, 40 were males and 67 were females. Twenty-four patients (24.36%), out of 107 patients were found to have distal caries on the adjacent second mandibular molar. Conclusion: As the incidence of distal caries on the second mandibular molar was found to be high, it is recommended that careful monitoring and frequent radiographical examinations were necessary to detect the early caries.