Kyola Distraction System May Improve Safety of Mandibular Third Molar Removal: Study
The Kyola Distraction System may offer a safe and effective alternative to conventional odontectomy for impacted mandibular third molars. The technique may reduce the risk of inferior alveolar nerve injury, minimize postoperative complications, and promote bone regeneration, although further studies are needed to confirm its long-term clinical benefits. The study was published in the journal Clinical Oral Investigations by Liang-Cheng C. and colleagues.
In order to quantitatively determine the speed of the movement, the timing of the traction, and the nerve integrity of this technique, researchers have studied the clinical records of 100 patients who received treatment in Changhua Christian Hospital using this innovative approach. The technique included the use of Kyola Distraction System, in which there is a combination of partial surgical coronectomy and accurate orthodontic traction using elastic anchor system.
Panoramic images were taken periodically during the treatment process in order to record precisely the scooting distance of single-rooted and double-rooted molars to the inferior alveolar canal. The period of distraction in days necessary for a safe separation was calculated, the root displacement distance was measured in millimeters, and the nerve integrity was checked constantly.
Key findings:
- The retrospective study included precisely 100 patients (57 males and 43 females) whose ages ranged from 18 to 60 years.
- Thirty-two patients had a case of single-rooted third molar while the rest 68 patients were of double-rooted third molar requiring treatment.
- The period of distraction took 61.3 days in the case of single-rooted molar and 61.1 days in the case of double-rooted third molar.
- In the case of double-rooted teeth, the mean root displacement was 1.38 mm for the mesial root and 1.59 mm for the distal root from the nerve canal.
- In the case of single-rooted third molar, the mean vertical displacement was 1.42 mm.
- No cases of inferior alveolar nerve injury and temporary sensory paresthesia occurred among 100-patient sample.
The Kyola Distraction System has shown to be an innovative procedure compared to traditional odontectomy in treating impacted mandibular third molars. These statistics in clinical practice have provided a good basis in contemporary oral surgery that orthodontic force applied prior to extraction prevents nerve damage.
Reference:
Chen, LC., Fan, B., Tsou, HH. et al. An innovative device for scooting impacted third molars away from the inferior alveolar nerve. Clin Oral Invest 30, 347 (2026). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00784-026-07017-0
