Prevalence of Mandibular Third Molar Pericoronitis among Smokers and Evaluation of its treatment outcomes - A Retrospective Study

Abstract

Pericoronitis is an infectious disease affecting the operculum overlying a semi-erupted or erupting tooth. Pericoronitis occurs mainly or particularly on the lower third molars. It is painfully debilitating at times and it's a common periodontal emergency found for many diseases, with tobacco being the major modifiable risk factor. It has a negative impact over oral health and oral hygiene. The aim of this study is to analyse the prevalence of pericoronitis among smokers. Patients included in this retrospective study were those with a diagnosis of pericoronitis from July 2019 till March 2020. Socio-demographic and clinical data of all the 109 patients collected such as age, gender, tooth or teeth affected by pericoronitis and treatment undergone were retrieved from the recorded details of the patients. This data was tabulated inel and then imported to SPSS software for statistical analysis. During the study period, 109 patients presented with pericoronitis. The peak age for the prevalence of pericoronitis was 20-25 years accounting for 75.2% of the patients. The prevalence of lower left third molar (54.1%) being affected with pericoronitis was higher than the lower right third molar being affected (45.9%). Extraction (95.4%) was the frequently performed treatment for pericoronitis. Pericoronitis occurs more often in 20-25 years of age patients who are smokers. While the lower left third molar being the most common tooth involved in pericoronitis and extraction of the affected teeth was the treatment of choice among the majority of the population.