COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF ANGULATION PATTERNS AND ASSOCIATED PATHOLOGIES OF BILATERALLY IMPACTED MANDIBULAR THIRD MOLARS USING CONE BEAM COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY: A RETROSPECTIVE STUDY

Authors

  • Zainab Akbar Department of Oral Medicine, Rehman College of Dentistry, Peshawar, Pakistan.
  • Huma Saeed Department of Operative Dentistry, Rehman College of Dentistry, Peshawar, Pakistan.
  • Toheed Ur Rehman Department of Operative Dentistry, Rehman College of Dentistry, Peshawar, Pakistan.
  • Saqiba Yaseen Department of Operative Dentistry, Maroof International Hospital, Islamabad, Pakistan.
  • Sobia Salam Department of Oral Biology, Rehman College of Dentistry, Peshawar, Pakistan.
  • Zouha Sami House Officer, Women Dental College, Abbottabad, Pakistan.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.33279/jkcd.v16i02.1017

Keywords:

Cone Beam Computerized Tomography; impacted mandibular third molars; impaction angulation; mesioangular impaction; vertical impaction; Winter's classification

Abstract

Objectives: To compare the angulation patterns of bilaterally impacted mandibular third molars using cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) and to determine the frequency of associated pathological conditions.

Materials and Methods: Archived CBCT scans of 100 patients aged ≥17 years with bilaterally impacted mandibular third molars were reviewed retrospectively. Patients with previous mandibular surgery, associated pathology, single impaction, edentulism, or incomplete records were excluded. Impaction angulation was classified according to Winter's classification. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics version 26.0. Frequencies and percentages were calculated, and bilateral differences were assessed using the Chi-square test with a significance level of p<0.05.

Results: Vertical impaction was the most common angulation on both the left (49.0%) and right (45.0%) sides, followed by mesioangular impaction (36.0% and 31.0%, respectively). Horizontal impaction was observed in 14.0% of left-sided and 22.0% of right-sided mandibular third molars. No statistically significant bilateral difference in impaction angulation patterns was observed (p>0.05).

Conclusion: Bilaterally impacted mandibular third molars demonstrated broadly symmetrical angulation patterns, with vertical impaction being the predominant type on both sides. CBCT provides valuable three-dimensional assessment for diagnosis and treatment planning of impacted mandibular third molars.

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Published

2026-06-30

How to Cite

Akbar, Z. ., Saeed, H. ., Rehman, T. U., Yaseen, S. ., Salam, S. ., & Sami, Z. . (2026). COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF ANGULATION PATTERNS AND ASSOCIATED PATHOLOGIES OF BILATERALLY IMPACTED MANDIBULAR THIRD MOLARS USING CONE BEAM COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY: A RETROSPECTIVE STUDY. JOURNAL OF KHYBER COLLEGE OF DENTISTRY, 16(03), 26–30. https://doi.org/10.33279/jkcd.v16i02.1017

Issue

Vol. 16 No. 03 (2026): Journal of Khyber College of Dentistry

Section

Original Article

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Copyright (c) 2026 Zainab Akbar, Huma Saeed, Toheed Ur Rehman, Saqiba Yaseen, Sobia Salam, Zouha Sami

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