Prevalence of caries and cervical resorption on adjacent second molar associated with impacted third molar

Abstract Introduction Impacted third molars are the most frequently impacted teeth in humans and can predispose the adjacent second molar to an array of detrimental effects such as caries, periodontitis and cervical resorption. The objective of this study is to determine the incidence of caries and cervical resorption on the adjacent second molar associated with impacted third molar. Materials and method A prospective cross sectional study involving patients presenting with impacted third molar. Periapical radiographs were exposed using the paralleling technique. The type of impaction, extent of caries, presence of cervical resorption were collated. The impacted third molar was classified using the Winter’s classification. Data was analysed using SPSS version 21.0. The analysis was done using frequency distribution, cross tabulations, test of significance with chi square. Result A total of 122 participants with 150 impacted third molars were recruited for this study. Mandibular left third molar was the most frequently encountered impacted third molar (52.0%). Mesioangular impaction was the most common impaction encountered (50.7%). Less than half (44.7%) of the second molar adjacent to an impacted third molar had a carious lesion while only 4.7% of the second molars had associated cervical resorption. There was statistically significant association between the caries status of the second molar and type of impaction on the third molar with a higher tendency for mesioangular impaction to have associated caries on the second molar. Conclusion Impacted third molar is associated with complications which manifest on the adjacent second molar.