Prevalência de Inclinações e Profundidade de Terceiros Molares Inferiores, segundo as Classificações De Winter e De Pell & Gregory

Abstract

Objective: To verify the prevalence of the position of mandibular third molars, determining their position and inclination according to the Winter and Pell & Gregory classifications and according to the gender. Method: Radiographs of 1,150 mandibular third molars were analyzed according to the Winter classification with respect to their angulation with the long axis of the adjacent second molar, as well as according to the Pell & Gregory classification, which determines the position relative to the mandibular ramus and to the occlusal plane of the second molar. The radiographs were obtained from patients treated by the Oral Surgery discipline of the Dental School of the Campos Gerais Higher Studies Center (CESCAGE), radiographs provided by the Ponta Grossa municipality and also from private dental offices in Ponta Grossa, PR, Brazil, between March and July 2011. Results: Regarding the mandibular third molar position, 426 (37.04%) were absent, and the most common position was the mesioangular (28.52% - 328 third molars) according to the Winter classification. According to the Pell & Gregory classification, 27.30% were in Class II, when there is insufficient space between the second molar's distal and the anterior border of the mandible ramus. Among the analyzed teeth, 29.82% were in the A position, which means that the third molar's occlusal surface is on the same plane or above the second molar. Conclusion: The mandibular third molar most prevalent positions were the mesioangular angulation, class II and A position. The use of classifications adopted for the mandibular third molars facilitates the planning of surgeries for their extraction.