Awareness among Dental Students about the Increased Risk of Developing TMJ Disorders after Surgical Removal of Impacted All Four Third Molars

Abstract

Third molars, the most commonly impacted tooth are managed by surgical removal which may have various post-operative complications like pain, swelling, edema etc. Sometimes, temporomandibular joint disorder (TMD) may also occur. Aim: To evaluate awareness among dental students about the risk of developing TMD post-surgical removal of all four impacted third molars by having them fill out a set of 25 questions. Materials and Methods: The questionnaire was distributed as Google forms through WhatsApp and email for BDS interns at various dental colleges in and around Chennai. Their responses were collected, analyzed and the results were tabulated. Result: The overall knowledge of dental students on TMD and their risk factors was found to be 70.22%. More than 80% of dental students were aware of the term "impacted tooth" and definition of TMJ disorders. Only 55.02% positively supported TMJ disorders practice questions.