AUTHOR=Schroeder Alan R. , Newman Thomas B. , Girod Sabine , Hashemi Sepehr , Häberle Astrid D. 

TITLE=Estimated Cumulative Incidence of Wisdom Tooth Extractions in Privately Insured US Patients

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Dental Medicine

VOLUME=Volume 3 - 2022

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/dental-medicine/articles/10.3389/fdmed.2022.937165

DOI=10.3389/fdmed.2022.937165

ISSN=2673-4915

ABSTRACT=Objective: 
To determine the cumulative incidence and predictors of third molar (3M, “wisdom teeth”) extractions in the US. 
Methods: 
We retrospectively analyzed a US private dental insurance claims database to create a Kaplan-Meier curve for cumulative incidence of 3M extractions, and used Cox proportional hazards to assess associations between sex, geographic region, and extractions. 
Results:  
Between 2007-2016, by age 25, approximately 80% of patients underwent ≥ one tooth and an estimated 50% of patients underwent ≥ one 3M extraction. Factors associated with 3M extractions included female sex (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR] 1.08, 95% CI 1.07 – 1.08) and residence in the West (aHR 1.82, 95% CI 1.81-1.85) or South (aHR 1.5, 95% CI 1.49 – 1.51) geographic regions as compared to the Northeast.
Conclusion:
3M extractions are likely the most common surgery performed on US adolescents and young adults. Significant geographic variation suggests that elucidation of the indications for this common procedure is a public health priority.