Wisdom Teeth Removal Controversy

There are no reliable studies or data to support the removal of trouble free healthy impacted wisdom teeth. Despite this, removal of the third molars is a common practice in developed countries.

"Watchful monitoring" of asymptomatic wisdom teeth may be a more appropriate strategy, suggest review authors led by Dr. Dirk Mettes of Radboud University Medical Centre Nijmegen in the Netherlands. Furthermore, they add, health risks and cost-effectiveness of surgery deserve greater consideration.

In 2006, the Cochrane Collaboration published a systematic review of randomized controlled trials in order to evaluate the effect of preventative removal of asymptomatic wisdom teeth. The authors found no evidence to either support or refute this practice. It found some reliable evidence that suggests that the prophylactic removal of impacted third molars in adolescents to reduce or prevent late incisor crowding cannot be justified. Such removal neither reduces or prevents late incisor crowding. The authors of the review suggested that the number of surgical procedures could be reduced by 60% or more.

Similarly, Clinical Evidence published a summary, largely based on the Cochrane review, that concluded prophylactic extraction is likely to be ineffective or harmful. Clinical Evidence suggested while it is clear that symptomatic impacted wisdom teeth should be surgically removed, it appears that extracting asymptomatic, disease-free wisdom teeth is not advisable due to the risk of damage to the inferior alveolar nerve.

References
1. Cochrane Collaboration
2. Clinical Evidence
3. Laura Kennedy, Medical News Today