Dentoalveolar surgeryCoronectomy of the Lower Third Molar Is Safe Within the First 3 Years
Section snippets
Materials and Methods
The preoperative and postoperative assessments and the surgical technique of coronectomy were adopted from the study protocol of a randomized controlled clinical trial comparing coronectomy with the conventional total removal of the lower third molars published by the authors' center in 2009.7 Ethical approval was granted by the local institutional review board (HKU/HA HKW IRB UW 10-001).
Results
Coronectomies were successfully performed in 155 lower third molars in 108 patients. Among these, 98 patients (35 men, 63 women) with 135 coronectomies completed the 36-month follow-up. Fifteen patients with 20 coronectomies refused follow-up during this period owing to work commitments or personal reasons and were excluded from the study. The dropout rate was 12.9% (20/155). The mean age of the patients was 27.6 years (standard deviation [SD], 7.9 yrs). The teeth characteristics and the
Discussion
The randomized clinical trial conducted by the authors' center and several other studies comparing coronectomy with the total removal of the lower third molars have shown, with a sufficient sample size, that an IAN deficit after coronectomy can be significantly decreased in high-risk cases.6, 7, 9, 10 The present study supports that this technique is safe in the long-term up to at least 3 years.
Many clinicians worry about infection of the retained roots after coronectomy in the long-term. Some
Acknowledgments
The authors thank Mr Andy Hon Kwan Chan and Miss Karen Kar Yan Lai for their contributions in data collection and root migration measurement. They also express their gratitude to the postgraduates of the discipline who performed the surgical procedures.
References (24)
- et al.
A bioabsorbable collagen nerve cuff (NeuraGen) for repair of lingual and inferior alveolar nerve injuries: A case series
J Oral Maxillofac Surg
(2008) Intentional partial odontectomy: Review of cases
J Oral Maxillofac Surg
(1997)- et al.
Coronectomy: A technique to protect the inferior alveolar nerve
J Oral Maxillofac Surg
(2004) Coronectomy (intentional partial odontectomy of lower third molars)
Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol Oral Radiol Endod
(2004)- et al.
A randomised controlled clinical trial to compare the incidence of injury to the inferior alveolar nerve as a result of coronectomy and removal of mandibular third molars
Br J Oral Maxillofac Surg
(2005) - et al.
Safety of coronectomy versus excision of wisdom teeth: A randomized controlled trial
Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol Oral Radiol Endod
(2009) - et al.
A preferable technique for protecting the inferior alveolar nerve: Coronectomy
J Oral Maxillofac Surg
(2009) - et al.
Clinical evaluations of coronectomy (intentional partial odontectomy) for mandibular third molars using dental computed tomography: A case-control study
J Oral Maxillofac Surg
(2009) - et al.
Coronectomy in patients with high risk of inferior alveolar nerve injury diagnosed by computed tomography
J Oral Maxillofac Surg
(2011) Coronectomy: A time to ponder or a time to act?
J Oral Maxillofac Surg
(2004)