The importance of a good evaluation in order to prevent oral nerve injuries: A review

Abstract

Objective. Oral nerve injuries are a less frequent complication but they involve a decrease in the patient life quality. The purpose of the current review is to know the described risk factors to prevent injuries and to know the therapies against an established injury. Materials and methods. A Pubmed search of the English and Spanish language literature from 2000–2012 using the keywords ‘oral surgery' or ‘trigeminal nerve injuries' or ‘lingual nerve injuries' or ‘mandibular nerve injuries' was performed. Review articles were included and important articles from the references were added. Results. A total of 662 were obtained from the search, from which 25 were selected accomplishing the inclusion criteria. Moreover, seven important articles were selected from the references of the ones mentioned, obtaining a total of 32 articles for the review. Conclusions. There is a relationship between the position of the extracted tooth and the incidence of the inferior alveolar nerve and lingual nerve injuries; as well as the age of the patient, the intra-operatory exposition of the nerve, the technique access for the lower third molar extraction and the surgeon's inexperience. The radiological examination is useful to evaluate the nerve damage and to decide on the surgical technique.