A influência dos terceiros molares inferiores no apinhamento anteroinferior

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: The third molar as the cause of anteroinferior crowding is not yet fully accepted and leads to unnecessary treatments and uncertainty in the results of orthodontic treatment. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the influence of lower third molars on anteroinferior crowding. METHODOLOGY: Twenty-one patients with Angle class I malocclusion, who had cephalometric radiography in lateral norm and plaster study models were evaluated. Information on age, sex, ethnicity was collected. Facial growth pattern, participants' retromolar distance and Little's irregularity index were calculated. Panoramic radiography was used to assess the presence and position of third molars. RESULTS: The mesofacial pattern was the most frequent (66.7%), followed by brachyfacial (33.3%). Most patients had moderate irregularity (52.4%), followed by minimal irregularity (28.6%). There was no statistically significant difference in the Little index considering the facial typology. There was no correlation between retromolar space and Little's index. CONCLUSION: Third molars have no significant influence on anteroinferior crowding.