Evaluation of a new radiographic technique: outcome following removal of mandibular third molars

Objective: To compare the effect on outcome of third molar removal of pre-operative radiographic assessment by two different techniques. Methods: Two hundred and sixty three patients were allocated prior to surgery to one of two diagnostic groups. One hundred and thirty-seven were examined by the Scanora(R) and 126 by a panoramic plus three intra-oral radiographs. Ten oral surgeons recorded their operating time in minutes. Postoperative pain was recorded 4 h after the operation by the patients on a Visual Analog Scale (VAS). The following clinical parameters were recorded at the I-week postoperative examination: alveolitis, bleeding, and swelling related to the operation area, and any other complications such as paresthesia, nausea and trismus. Results: There was no significant difference in operation time between the two groups of patients (t-test; P > 0.82) nor in the frequency of immediate postoperative pain (chi(2)-test; P > 0.5). There were no statistically significant differences in pain score between patients who experienced pain in the two groups (P = 0.10). Sixty-four patients experienced one or more postoperative complications, but the differences between the two groups were not statistically significant (chi(2)-test; P > 0.05). There were no significant differences between the surgeons in the number of patients they operated on who experienced pain (chi(2)-test; P = 0.18) or who developed complications (chi(2)-test; P = 0.27). Conclusion: There are no adverse effects on the rate of postoperative complications when surgeons with little experience with it base their diagnosis and treatment plan on Scanora(R) compared with conventional radiography.