Prevalence of Third Molar Impaction and its Relationship with Age

Purpose: The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of impacted third molars among patients attending the Center for Alnawjed Clinic and Aesthetics in Zawia, Libya, and to evaluate the relationship between third molar impaction and age. 
Materials and Methods: The study was conducted a 3-years period, between January 2017 and December 2019. Patients’ files with orthopantomographs were considered for evaluation. The inclusion criteria for this study were the records of patients with orthopantomographs and above the age of 17years, patients with no history of trauma, and patients with no syndromes and/or no systemic disorders. The ages were categorized into three intervals, 17 - 20; 21 – 30; 31 - 40; 41 – 50, and 51 - 55 years old. 
Results: 977 patients visited Center for Alnawjed clinic and Aesthetics, Zawia, Libya between January 2017 and December 2019, 170 patients (17.40%) met the inclusion criteria. The majority of impactions (37.6%) were mesioangular, followed by vertical impactions (26.5%), and horizontal ones (27.6%). 
Conclusion: The study was carried out over the course of three years; a longer period probably would provide a clearer picture of the issue with impacted molar teeth. The predominance of affected third molar teeth in a populace of patients from Zawia city is 17.40%. The most common type of impaction was a meso-angular one, followed by horizontal, vertical, distal, transverse, and inverted angulations. (Open J Biomed Res 2024;3:3-8)