Surgical management of lingual nerve injuries

Injuries to the lingual nerve remain a relatively uncommon event. However, given the frequency of surgical procedures in this anatomic region, it is likely that every oral and maxillofacial surgeon will be required to manage such an injury. When spontaneous recovery of lingual sensation is absent, microsurgical reconstruction can predictably achieve improved sensation in a majority of patients provided that such injuries are properly assessed and treated early. The quality of the sensory improvement is related to the age of the patient, the timing of surgery, the extent of the neural injury, and the quality of the repair.