MANDIBULAR 3RD MOLARS AS MEDIATED BY 3 CUES - DENTISTS TREATMENT DECISIONS ON ASYMPTOMATIC MOLARS COMPARED WITH MOLARS ASSOCIATED WITH PATHOLOGICAL CONDITIONS

The aim was to study how three cues (patient's age and angular positio n and degree of impaction of the molar) were distributed among removed mandibular third molars associated with pathologic conditions and to compare these results with dentists' treatment decisions in another gr oup of molars consisting of asymptomatic mandibular third molars, as m ediated by the same cues. The overall agreement was fairly high betwee n the dentists' treatment decisions and the removal rate among the mol ars subjected to removal. Thus, molars partially covered by soft tissu e in patients aged 19 to 40 years had a high removal rate, and molars totally covered by bone tissue had the lowest removal rate in accordan ce with the dentists' treatment decisions. There were some exceptions. For example, molars partially covered by soft tissue in horizontal an d mesioangular positions were rated higher by the dentists than the re moval rates indicated. Distoangular molars in patients aged 26 to 40 y ears had the highest removal rate but a considerably lower order accor ding to the dentists' decisions. Scientific evidence indicates that mo lars in mesioangular and horizontal positions present a low risk and m olars in distoangular position present the highest risk of developing pathologic conditions, compared with other angular positions.