Prevalence of Third Molar Agenesis in Patients—A Panoramic Retrospective Study

Background/purpose: The most common developmental dental problem is that of agenesis.It is seen to affect around about 25% of the population.The aim of this study is to determine the prevalence of agenesis of third molars in patients visiting a dental college in the UAE.Materials and methods: Orthopantomograms (OPGs) of 945 dental patients aged 6-30 years were evaluated for bilateral agenesis or congenitally missing teeth.Bilateral agenesis was considered and unilateral missing teeth were excluded from the study.Descriptive statistics were used to describe the percentages and frequencies were calculated using Chi-square test and the level of significance was considered if the p value was <0.05.Results: Eighty-five of the 945 OPGs showed bilateral agenesis.The prevalence of bilateral agenesis or congenitally missing third molars within the selected 85 OPGs was at 31.76%. Conclusions:The prevalence rate of bilateral agenesis or congenitally missing permanent third molars is high at 31.76%.