Third molar surgical difficulty scales: systematic review and preoperative assessment form.

BACKGROUND: The main objective of this systematic review was to collect the pre-existing scales for assessing the difficulty of third molar extraction. The secondary objective was to design a proposal for a preoperative evaluation protocol for the difficulty of third molar extraction. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Two independent researchers conducted an electronic search in Pubmed (MEDLINE), Cochrane, and Scopus databases during March 2021. Included studies evaluated the prediction of the difficulty of surgical removal of impacted upper or lower third molars using new indices/scales or pre-existing scales with or without modifications. Articles referring to coronectomies or assessing pre-surgical difficulty using other tools were excluded. Neither language nor publication date restrictions were applied. RESULTS: Out of 242 articles, 13 prospective cohort studies were finally selected. Seven developed new indices/scales, and 6 assessed the predictive ability of some pre-existing scales. Most of the indices/scales contained radiological variables and few added any patient-related variables. We proposed a preoperative assessment protocol of the difficulty of third molar extraction to facilitate treatment planning and/or considerate referral in cases of high difficulty. This proposal used patient-related, radiological and surgical variables. CONCLUSIONS: Using a preoperative protocol to evaluate the surgical difficulty, including different patient-specific, radiological and surgical variables, could facilitate treatment planning, help clinicians prevent complications and assess the possibility of referral.

Bifid mandibular condyles: A systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Bifid mandibular condyle (BMC) constitutes an extremely rare disorder characterized by a duplication of the head of the mandibular condyle. Its prevalence ranges from 0.31% to 1.82% in the published literature. OBJECTIVES: The primary objective was to describe the main etiological, clinical and radiological characteristics of patients with BMCs and the existent treatment options. The secondary objective was to simultaneously include the characteristics of two new cases of BMC. MATERIAL AND METHODS: An electronic search in Pubmed (MEDLINE), Scopus and The Cochrane Library was carried out by two independent reviewers until April 2018. Prospective or retrospective cohort studies, case series and case reports describing clinical and/or radiological characteristics of patients with BMC were included. Registered variables were demographic, etiological factors, diagnostic exam, clinical characteristics and treatment options. The results from the articles selected were organized in a Table along with the characteristics of two new cases of BMC provided by the authors. RESULTS: From a total of 431 articles found in the initial search, 68 articles were finally included. This systematic review included 216 patients and 270 BMC with an average age of 30.6 (SD=14.7) years and a women:men ratio of 1.4:1. Mediolateral condylar orientation was the most prevalent position (80.1%). Among cases with known etiology, 40.8% of cases had a history of traumatism, while 55.9% did not present any relevant medical background. Half of the symptomatic cases had history of trauma. The most common symptoms were hypomobility (22.7%), arthralgia (18.1%), articular noise (17.2%) and ankylosis (17.6%). Active monitoring and manufacturing an occlusal splint were the most frequent treatment options. CONCLUSIONS: BMC may have congenital or traumatic etiology. Hypomobility and arthralgia are the most frequent symptoms and treatment options are often conservative.