Research Shows Injection Prevent Wisdom Teeth Growth - Anesthesia may be halting growth of tooth buds

Tufts University School of Dental Medicine has recently discovered through its research that a statistical link between anesthesia injections for dental work for children under the age of six shows evidence of missing lower wisdom teeth. The result of the epidemiological study is suggesting that injecting anesthesia into the gums of younger patients may, in fact, disrupt their ability to develop lower wisdom teeth.

“It is intriguing to think that something as routine as local anesthesia could stop wisdom teeth from developing. This is the first study in humans showing an association between a routinely- administered, minimally-invasive clinical procedure and arrested third molar growth,” said corresponding author, Anthony R. Silvestri, D.M.D., clinical professor in the department of orthodontics and operative dentistry at Tufts University School of Dental Medicine.

Wisdom teeth considered vulnerable to injury due to their development type. Between the ages of two and six years old, the buds of the teeth are in the early stages of development in the corners of the mouth. Not every person develops wisdom teeth, however, for those who do develop the teeth, they often become problematic.

The American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons have reported that nearly 90% of individuals will have at least one impacted tooth, which can cause a myriad of unfortunate side-effects. Thus, many experts advise the teeth be removed.

The tooth bud is vulnerable to injuries in young children, as the area is not covered by bone, and is covered merely by soft tissue. The soft tissue surrounding the bud is in close proximity to where the needle penetrates for injections.

The Tuft digital dental record system was used by researchers who received treatment in the Tufts clinic of pediatrics. They eliminated records that involved confounding factors, and analyzed nearly 450 sites where wisdom teeth could potentially have developed from over 200 patients.

The control group contained x-rays for patients who had no lower jaw injections. The second group had x-rays following such injections of anesthesia. Group two had 4.35 times higher possibility of missing wisdom teeth when compared to group one.

“The incidence of missing wisdom teeth was significantly higher in the group that had received dental anesthesia; statistical evidence suggests that this did not happen by chance alone. We hope our findings stimulate research using larger sample sizes and longer periods of observation to confirm our findings and help better understand how wisdom teeth can be stopped from developing,” Silvestri continued.

“Dentists have been giving local anesthesia to children for nearly 100 years and may have been preventing wisdom teeth from forming without even knowing it. Our findings give hope that a procedure preventing third molar growth can be developed.”

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