AIM:

The aim of this study was to determine the frequency and distribution of third-molar agenesis in orthodontic patients from the East Anatolian Region of Turkey.

METHODS AND MATERIALS:

Our data were obtained from the panoramic radiographs of the 2,579 patients 12 to 16 years of age in the Department of Orthodontics at the Atatürk University in Erzurum, Turkey. Subjects with congenital deformities, such as a cleft palate, were excluded from the study. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS software and a chi-squared test.

RESULTS:

Of the 2,579 subjects, 1,964 (76.2 percent) had all four third-molar teeth, 238 (9.2 percent) had three, 214 (8.3 percent) had two, 66 (2.6 percent) had one third molar, and 97 (3.8 percent) had agenesis of all third-molar teeth. There was no significant difference in agenesis of third-molar teeth between the right and left sides and no gender predilection was noted. However, significantly more third-molar teeth were found to be missing from the maxilla compared to the mandible, with a ratio of approximately 1.5:1.

CONCLUSION:

According to our results, the absence of one third molar is the most frequently detected pattern in the East Anatolian population. Additionally, the absence of third molars is more frequent in the maxilla than the mandible.

CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE:

To date no information about third-molar agenesis in the East Anatolian population from Turkey is documented. This is believed to be the first known study on this subject in this population.