Germectomy of the third molar in orthodontics: a review of the literature

Aim: germectomy is a surgical treatment defined as the removal of a tooth at the beginning of its development, when it has no contacts with the surrounding anatomical structures. The aim of the work is to present an in-ternational literature re-view to offer an overview on indications and ideal timing for this practice. Methods: a literature review has been done on PubMed database [www.ncbi.nim.nih.gov/pubmed] looking for the articles dealing with indications, contraindications, and discussions about this technique. Among the arti-cles found, those ones published between 2013 and 2023 were selected. Results: germectomy is a convenient, rapid, atraumatic technique without important post-surgical side effects. It's executable in local anaesthesia and it's much less invasive than the traditional surgery of the third molar: for this reason, a lot of authors are favorable to this practice. Among the authors, the debate about the ideal timing to operate is still open. Conclusions: despite the conflicting opinions found in the literature, it's univocally recognized the importance of a careful evaluation of each single patient, in order to establish/decide the real need of germectomy and the right period to operate.