Incidence of injury to lingual nerve during surgical removal of lower third molar teeth

Abstract EN

Background : the precise anatomic location of the lingual nerve in relation to the lingual cortex of the posterior mandibular third molar is clinically significant because lingual nerve subjected to injury during varieties of oral and maxillofacial surgery especially in the surgical removal of impacted lower third molar.

In this study we find the incidence of injury to lingual nerve as a complication of surgical removal of impacted third molar.

Fifty dental patients of 20-25 years old, male and female, 25 cases were done by me and other 25 cases were done by my colleagues in the maxillofacial department in the college of dentistry-university Sulaimani, suffering from impacted lower third molar tooth, subjected to surgical removal of these teeth, we study the incidence of injury to lingual nerve in form tip of the tongue parasthesia for one month postsurgery.

The aim of study is that to find the incidence of injury to lingual nerve during surgical removal of fully impacted lower third molar tooth and factors affecting this surgery.

Materials and methods : 84 third molars surgery of mucoperiosteal marginal soft tissue flap of buccal approach were carried out under local anaesthesia by using surgical set for tooth extraction, 4.0 black silk suture to close the wound.

Results : The incidence of injury to the lingual nerve is 2.8 % as a temporary sensory disturbance, while no patient 0 % of permanent of sensory disturbance.

Conclusion : the incidence of injury to the lingual nerve can be reduced by careful clinical evaluation, proper surgeon’s experience, and wide anatomical knowledgement during surgical removal of impacted lower third molar tooth.