Evaluation of the surgical difficulty in lower third molar extraction.

The ability to predict the surgical difficulty of lower third molar extraction facilitates the design of treatment plans by minimizing complications and improving the preparation of patients and assistants in terms of the postoperative management of inflammation and pain. The aims of this study were to evaluate the value of panoramic radiographs in predicting lower third molar extraction difficulty and technique and to determine if the experience of the practitioner had any influence on this predictive ability. Fourteen dental practitioners with varying levels of experience evaluate the difficulty of lower third molar extraction in a group of patients using a 100-mm visual analog scale (VAS) and a modified version of a surgical difficulty scale.