Evaluation of a new radiographic technique: outcome following removal of mandibular third molars.
OBJECTIVE
To compare the effect on outcome of third molar removal of pre-operative radiographic assessment by two different techniques.


METHODS
Two hundred and sixty three patients were allocated prior to surgery to one of two diagnostic groups. One hundred and thirty-seven were examined by the Scanora and 126 by a panoramic plus three intra-oral radiographs. Ten oral surgeons recorded their operating time in minutes. Postoperative pain was recorded 4 h after the operation by the patients on a Visual Analog Scale (VAS). The following clinical parameters were recorded at the 1-week postoperative examination: alveolitis, bleeding, and swelling related to the operation area, and any other complications such as paresthesia, nausea and trismus.


RESULTS
There was no significant difference in operation time between the two groups of patients (t-test; P > 0.82) nor in the frequency of immediate postoperative pain (chi 2-test; P > 0.5). There were no statistically significant differences in pain score between patients who experienced pain in the two groups (P = 0.10). Sixty-four patients experienced one or more postoperative complications, but the differences between the two groups were not statistically significant (chi 2-test; P > 0.05). There were no significant differences between the surgeons in the number of patients they operated on who experienced pain (chi 2-test; P = 0.18) or who developed complications (chi 2-test; P = 0.27).


CONCLUSIONS
There are no adverse effects on the rate of postoperative complications when surgeons with little experience with it base their diagnosis and treatment plan on Scanora compared with conventional radiography.
Wenzel
A
A
Department of Oral Radiology, Royal Dental College, University of Aarhus, Denmark.
Aagaard
E
E
Sindet-Pedersen
S
S
D000328:Adult; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D002983:Clinical Competence; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008334:Mandible / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D008964:Molar, Third / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000601:surgery; D010147:Pain Measurement; D010149:Postoperative Pain; D019252:Radiography, Dental, Digital; D011862:Radiography, Panoramic; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D014095:Tooth, Impacted / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000601:surgery; D014097:Tooth, Unerupted / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery; D016896:Treatment Outcome