Association between third molar agenesis and craniofacial structure development

Introduction The aim of this investigation was to study the relationship between third molar agenesis—including the number of ageneses—and craniofacial structure growth. Methods We reviewed 305 clinical histories of patients treated at the Orthodontics Unit of the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry at the University of Valencia in Spain. This included radiographic records of optimal quality. Of these, 40 patients who had agenesis of at least 1 third molar were included in the study group. A control group was formed with another 40 patients with all 4 third molars present. For both groups, a further criterion for inclusion was cone-beam computed tomography records. The cephalometric analysis …