Health - Wisdom teeth on their way out

Wisdom teeth can move and the mouth is a battlefield. Shalini Pandey, 21, found this out the painful way when she went to her dentist for a routine check. "He told me that tooth No 17 was pushing tooth No 18 and that there was not enough space for both to co-exist," she says, adding snappily, "They should be called stupid teeth. My dentist says they are useless, so why do wisdom teeth exist in the first place?"

Soon, they may not. Shalini may have to suffer an extraction, but her grandchildren could well go scot free. Wisdom teeth, said the grand-daddy of evolution theory Charles Darwin, are extraneous baggage that will be left behind in the process of evolution. As the human jaw contracts from a roomier ape size to a narrower, more human dimension so will the space for the troublesome third molars that push their way up in adulthood.

And now, a new study conducted at the Ohio Consortium for Public Health says that the jaw line is also shrinking because of a number of lifestyle factors including the shift from a coarse abrasive diet to a soft western one, lack of proper dental care and genetic factors such as mutation.

So does this mean wisdom teeth will go the way of the tail? "Yes, the teeth might disappear. Many people already don't have them," agrees Dr Krunal Thakker, who runs a clinic in Mulund.

"I think people's food habits are largely responsible for this phenomenon. Earlier, our food was more fibrous which was good for the jaw. With taste becoming a priority, wisdom teeth have taken a beating." However, he says, extinction will take some time.

A smaller jaw means a crowded mouth. "As of now, wisdom teeth have been reduced to small stumps with the reduction in jaw size," adds Dr Munira Manuel.

The American Dental Association says that at least 65% of 20-year-olds have at least one impacted (unable to come out or misaligned) third molar.