Till Surgery Do Us Part: Unexpected Bilateral Kissing Molars

Abstract

The occurrence impacted teeth, single or multiple is very common. But, phenomenon of kissing molars is an extremely rare phenomenon. Mandibular third molars are the most common impacted teeth. Mandibular first or second molars does not share the same frequency of occurrence. But, there are rare cases in which the occlusal surfaces of impacted molars are united by the same follicular space and the roots point in the opposite direction, and are termed as kissing molars. Sometimes, these teeth will be associated with pathologies. This article reports a rare case of mandibular bilateral kissing molars.

Kissing Molars: Reports of Three Cases Involving Supernumerary Tooth, Dentigerous Cyst and Fibro-Osseous Lesion

“…1 Although factors influencing tooth impaction is not yet fully understood, it has been hypothesized that, resorption of bone can result in bone loss along mesial root of the impacted third molar and cause movement and tipping, also presence of a fourth molar can be a predisposing factor. 4 KM is also observed to occur in patients diagnosed with MPS and related disorders. 5 Maintenance of KM can be associated to complications such as decreased mandibular bone tissue and increased risk of mandibular fracture, root resorption of adjacent teeth, pericoronitis, local pain and cystic changes.…”

Kissing Molars: A Report of Three Cases and Literature Review

“…This study included twenty-two patients with KM in the mandible, with nineteen clinical cases taken from the literature [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11], and three new clinical cases arising from the personal experience of the authors ( Table 1).…”

“…Inclusion criteria were: Englishlanguage articles generated by the Medline database containing at least one case of KM located in the mandible that detailed clinical, diagnostic or therapeutic criteria. The search revealed eleven papers that met these criteria [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11]. Three additional cases are provided by the authors.…”

“…Diagnosis is based on clinical findings together with imaging tests, mainly involving panoramic radiograph [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11]. Imaging tests are not only used for definitive diagnosis, but also for the assessment of possible associated pathologies, for accurate localization of the KM, and for the most appropriate treatment planning [10].…”

Expanding torque possibilities: A skeletally anchored torqued cantilever for uprighting “kissing molars”

“…If the impactions are between the first and second molars, they are classified as Class I KMs; between the second and third molars, Class II KMs; and between the third and fourth mandibular molars, Class III KMs. 4,9,10 However, this classification does not set treatment guidelines.…”