October 28-30, 2022 · COEX, Seoul, Korea

Presidential Lecture

Third Molars in Orthodontics: to Retain, or Not to Retain, That is the Question

Kyung-Ho Kim (김경호)

Dr. Kyung-Ho Kim is a 1985 graduate of Yonsei University College of Dentistry, and received his orthodontic certificate and Master of Science degree in Orthodontics in 1988 and his Ph.D. of Dental Science in 1994 from Yonsei University in Seoul. From 2003 to 2004, Dr. Kim travelled abroad as a visiting scholar at the University of Pennsylvania and from 2010 to 2014, served as the Head of the Department of Orthodontics at Yonsei University. For over 30 years, Dr. Kim has worked as a fulltime Professor with Yonsei University. Currently, he is president of the National Council of Orthodontics Professors and he is also past president of the Korean Association of Orthodontists. Dr. Kim has authored or co-authored over 150 peer reviewed articles and textbook chapters.
E-mail: khkim@yuhs.ac

Lecture Description

Orthodontists are often confronted with the question of whether to retain or extract the third molar. And if extraction is indicated, when is the ideal extraction time?

An asymptomatic third molar with no possibility of harmful effects on the dentition should be retained. However, if the third molar can threaten the stability of orthodontic results, extraction should be performed.

Recent trends of non-extraction treatment with molar distalization using temporary anchorage devices (TADs) are the reasons for the higher need of attention regarding the third molar management. In addition, a missing or hopeless tooth due to various reasons such as severe dental caries, is a good candidate for substitution by the third molar.

In this lecture, I will discuss the beneficial uses (positional/angular changes of the third molar after upper and/or lower second molar extraction and substitution of a molar by a third molar), as well as the potentially harmful effects (occlusal changes adjacent to the third molar, poor relation to adjacent molar) of the retained third molar.