DDS, MSc, PhD-student, Department of Oral Diagnosis, University of São Paulo, Bauru, São Paulo, Brazil

DDS, MSc, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Oral Diagnosis, University of São Paulo, Bauru, São Paulo, Brazil.

DDS, MSc, PhD, Assistant Professor of Oral Surgery, University Sagrado Coração, Bauru, São Paulo, Brazil.

DDS, MSc, PhD, Assistant Professor of Oral Surgery, University Sagrado Coração, Bauru, São Paulo, Brazil.

DDS, MSc, PhD, Assistant Professor of Oral Surgery, University Sagrado Coração, Bauru, São Paulo, Brazil.
Lower third molar surgery ,Digital radiography ,Dental movement ,

Because some patients complain of occlusal changes following lower third molar surgery, the purpose of this study was to evaluate if there is an angle variation of the second molar’s long axis, in relation to that of the first molar, in digital periapical radiographic images, through the Digora® system. 40 digital periapical images of the lower molars region of 20 patients were analyzed, between 15 and 25 years old, who presented non-erupted lower third molars, bilaterally, symmetric in their positioning, referred to extraction. The images were obtained from database of a previously standardized study about lower third molar surgery. The Adobe Photoshop 7.0® software was utilized to interpret the images and tracings of the long axes of the first and second lower molars and the intersection among them. The ImageJ 1.41® software was utilized to obtain the angular values. All these measurements were accomplished in the images obtained in the immediate postoperative control of 2, 6 and 24 months, for the two groups studied. The results showed no statistically significant difference between the experimental and control groups, in relation to the long axes of the first and second molars, not even after 2, 6 and 24 months. This study suggests no movement to the distal of lower second molar, following lower third molar surgery

5 , 10 , 2015