§ Mr. VazTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidelines exist for NHS dentists concerning the removal of wisdom teeth. [46178]
§ Ms BlearsIn March 2000, the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) issued the following guidance.
- 1.1 The routine practice of prophylactic removal of pathology-free impacted third molars should be discontinued in the NHS.
- 1.2 The standard routine programme of dental care by dental practitioners and/or paraprofessional staff, need be no different, in general, for pathology free impacted third molars (those requiring no additional investigations or procedures).
- 1.3 Surgical removal of impacted third molars should be limited to patients with evidence of pathology. Such pathology includes unrestorable caries, non-treatable pulpal and/or periapical pathology, cellulitis, abcess and osteomyelitis, internal/external
422W resorption of the tooth or adjacent teeth, fracture of tooth, disease of follicle including cyst/tumour, tooth/teeth impeding surgery or reconstructive jaw surgery, and when a tooth is involved in or within the field of tumour resection. - 1.4 Specific attention is drawn to plaque formation and pericoronitis. Plaque formation is a risk factor but is not in itself an indication for surgery. The degree to which the severity or recurrence rate of pericoronitis should influence the decision for surgical removal of a third molar remains unclear. The evidence suggests that a first episode of pericoronitis, unless particularly severe, should not be considered an indication for surgery. Second or subsequent episodes should be considered the appropriate indication for surgery.