Oral Health-related quality of life after coronectomy for impacted mandibular third molar in the first postoperative week

BACKGROUND: Coronectomy of a mandibular impacted third molar is a surgical treatment to minimize the risk for inferior alveolar nerve damage. We aimed to determine whether this procedure affected the oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) within the first postoperative week. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This prospective study included 50 patients that underwent a coronectomy for an impacted mandibular third molar. The patients completed the Oral Health Impact Profile-14 (OHIP-14) questionnaire and questions about pain and analgesic intake on every day during the first postoperative week. RESULTS: Mean OHIP-14 scores were highest during the first three postoperative days; the highest mean score (26.40, SD: 8.67) was observed on the first postoperative day. Mean OHIP scores gradually declined during the first postoperative week, and the mean OHIP-14 score was 9.82 (SD: 9.15) on the seventh day. Physical pain was the highest contributor to the overall OHIP-14 score. Pain gradually declined with time; the lowest mean pain score (3.38, SD: 2.2) was observed on the seventh day. OHIP-14 and pain scores were not significantly different between sexes or between different grades of impaction. OHIP-14 scores were positively correlated with pain scores. CONCLUSIONS: A mandibular third molar coronectomy had a strong effect on patient OHRQoL, particularly during the first three postoperative days. Key words:Third molars, coronectomy, pain, OHRQoL.