Fahimeh Akhlaghi - Associate professor, Dept of oral and maxillofacial surgery, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, School of Dentistry, Tehran, Iran
Elahe Vahid Dastjerdie - Assistant professor, Dept of orthodontics, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, School of Dentistry, Tehran, Iran
Payam Ghahari - Dentist

Introduction: Despite a substantial body of literature refuting an association between third molar eruption and crowding of the lower anterior dentition, the issue continues to be controversial. This study sought to assess the correlation between angulations of impact mandibular third molars and anterior crowding of the lower arch.Materials and methods: ۱۲۷ patients were examined in this analytical-descriptive study. Clinical and paraclinical records were obtained to assess different impaction angulations and the rate of crowding. Patients with history of previous extractions, orthodontic treatment, Bolton discrepancy and skeletal orthodontic malformations were excluded. Kruskal —Wallis test was used for statistical analysis.Results: Of the ۱۲۷ patients studied, mcsioangular impaction was observed in ۶۱ patients (۴۸%). This study showed no significant correlation between different angulations of mandibular third molar impaction and crowding (P>۰.۰۵).Conclusion: This study seems to confirm that the role of the lower third molars is not a significant factor in causing late anterior crowding. 

Crowding, Mandibular Third Molar, Angulation