Impacted Mandibular Third Molar and its Surrounding Structures

Mandibular third molar impaction is a common occurrence in day-to-day clinical practice. Mostly patients report with pain sensation in the area of impaction. Before proceeding with any further treatment, radiographic investigation is mandatory for assessing the status of the impaction. For this purpose, certain radiographs are available, among which OPG are mostly used for screening purposes. OPG, being a 2D imaging radiograph, provides a two-dimensional radiograph with a lot of information about the status of the tooth and surrounding structures. With advances in technology, newer and more elaborate radiographs have been invented, among which is CBCT, which is a 3D radiograph. CBCT is able to provide images in various dimensions, such as coronal, sagittal, and axial views. This CBCT can give more information about a tooth and surrounding structures, such as the spatial relation of the tooth to surrounding structures, which is not available in a 2D radiograph.