PERIODONTAL STATUS OF SECOND MOLARS FOLLOWED BY THE EXTRACTION OF THIRD MOLARS - A CLINICAL STUDY

BACKGROUND: Impacted third molars have the highest prevalence of 66-77 percent, making them the most frequent impacted teeth. Third molars are prone to recurrent wisdom tooth pericoronitis, adjacent tooth caries in the case of second molars, lower anterior arch crowding, periodontal defects of adjacent molars, tooth root resorption, and even temperomandibular joint disorders due to their abnormal position and blocked eruption. AIM AND OBJECTIVE: The major goal of this research was to see how the periodontal health of the second molar changed after extraction of impacted third molars. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The research was based on a three-month follow-up of 40 individuals who had their third molars surgically extracted. Clinical criteria including as plaque index, gingival index, and probing depth were used to evaluate the periodontal condition of the neighbouring second molars. All of the measurements were taken at the time of surgery and again one, three, and six months afterwards. The data was analysed statistically. RESULTS: After 1 and 3 months, the values of probing depth, plaque index, and gingival index were considerably lower than the baseline value, according to the findings. The probing depth was from 5.6 +/- 0.68 to 4.8 +/- 0.66 and 3.2 +/- 0.78 in correspondence to baseline, 1st month and 3rd month follow up respectively. In case of plaque index, heavy plaque was from 29.2 +/- 0.58 to 10.4 +/- 0.53 and 8.3 +/- 0.98 in correspondence to baseline, 1st month and 3rd month follow up respectively. In gingival index, severe inflammation was from 25.0 +/- 0.44 to 8.3 +/- 0.49 and 6.3 +/- 0.57 in correspondence to baseline, 1st month and 3rd month follow up respectively. All the results were statistically significant. CONCLUSION: The current study reveals that when the third molar is removed, the periodontal health of the neighbouring second molar improves, leading to the conclusion that preventive removal of third molars can help patients maintain better oral hygiene.