Comparing Changes in Bone Level Distal to the Mandibular Second Molar (MSM) in Patients with an Extracted IMTM Versus Non-extracted IMTM Using OPG

Aim: The present study compared the changes in bone level distal to the mandibular second molar (MSM) in patients with an extracted IMTM versus non-extracted IMTM using OPG.

Background: The most common impacted tooth is the mandibular third molar, which can be detected using orthopantomography (OPG) and may have detrimental effects, including bone loss, on the neighboring mandibular second molar (MSM).

Methods: In this retrospective case-control study, 160 orthopantomograms (OPGs) of 80 patients who attended Dental Hospital of the University of Barcelona (HOUB) were randomly selected. Participants were stratified into a study group and a control group.

Results: Males and females show bone gain in the study group and bone loss in the control group. However, the difference in bone-level change was not statistically significant regarding gender in the study group. Within the study group, participants of 29–39 years show significant (p-value = 0.042) bone gain after extraction compared to other age groups. However, the control group shows bone loss in all age groups. our study solely focused on the radiographic findings without considering clinical parameters, such as those obtained via clinical probing. Thus, further studies correlating findings based on OPGs with three-dimensional imaging, such as cone-beam computed tomography and clinical probing, and the use of a larger sample size are required to validate the findings of the current study.

Conclusions: Bone improvements distal to the MSM were observed after the extraction of an IMTM compared to when an IMTM was not extracted. The findings of this study suggest that considering the routine use, affordability, and convenience of OPG, this method may be beneficial for visualizing a patient’s bone status after the extraction of an impacted molar.