[Complications during and after third molar extraction].

A retrospective analysis of intra- and postoperative complications with special regard to infections should give information about the success rate of our antiseptic treatment procedure when removing third molars. 3,980 third molars were surgically removed between July 1, 1992 and June 30, 1999. Dates were sampled from the patient medical histories (963 men, 935 women) and statistically analyzed. Intraoral complications arose in 188 cases: 153 perforations (3.8%) of the maxillary sinus and additional 35 complications (0.9%) arose from ruptured tuber maxillae, intraoperative bleedings, dislocations of teeth into the maxillary sinus and primary not removable root fragments. In 159 cases there were postoperative complications: 102 common simple infections were mainly respresented (2.6%). Persistent oroantral fistulae, odontogenous sinusitis, sensitivity disturbances, mandibular fractures, after-bleedings and osteomyelitis had to be treated postoperatively in 1.4%. Further a significant correlation between smoking and pericoronal infection (p = 0.0001 regio 38 / p = 0.012 regio 48) was identifiable. Based on our results we recommend to remove third molars for prophylactic reasons before the age of 25 because the intra- and postoperative complications will rise significantly afterwards.