Diagnosis, Evaluation and Treatment of Patients in Need of Third Molar Removal

Under this study, patients who require removal of their third molars (wisdom teeth) will be diagnosed, evaluated and treated. In addition, tooth, bone and gum tissue samples will be collected for use in bone, wound healing, microbiology and genetic research.

Patients 16-50 years of age who require wisdom tooth removal may be eligible for this study. Participants may have one or all of their wisdom teeth removed at one time. The surgery is done under local anesthetic. In addition, conscious sedation may be administered, if the patient wishes.

Besides wisdom tooth removal, patients are asked to donate a small sample of jaw bone (from the lining of the inner wall of the tooth socket) and gum tissue (from the area of the surgical site). The samples are collected at the same time as the tooth extraction. The bone sample is about the size of a pencil point (1.5 millimeters wide and 3 millimeters long) and the gum tissue sample is 1 millimeter. Removal of these samples should not cause any additional discomfort or increase the time required for the surgery or for healing.