McArdle L W, Jones J, McDonald F. Characteristics of disease related to mesio-angular mandibular third molar teeth. Br J Oral Maxillofac Surg 2019 ; 57: 306-311.

Distal cervical caries in the mandibular second molar increased as the patients became older and was the most common reason why mesio-angular third molar teeth were removed.

This study aimed to identify the indications for the removal of mesio-angular mandibular third molars based on age and dental health as measured by the DMFT (decayed, missing, and filled teeth) score, and explored if early intervention should be considered. The study included 319 patients who had 431 mesio-angular mandibular third molars removed. Variables recorded were age, primary indication for removal, and the DMFT score. Indications for removal included distal cervical caries in the mandibular second molar (44%), pericoronitis (32%), and caries and related disease (15%). The frequency of distal cervical caries in the mandibular second molar increased linearly as patients became older and was the most common reason why mesio-angular third molar teeth were removed. This suggests that patients should be advised of the consequences of retaining these types of third molars and offered prophylactic removal of asymptomatic teeth.