Is lingual nerve protection necessary for lower third molar germectomy? A prospective study of 300 procedures

Lingual nerve damage is one of the most common complications of lower third molar removal. However evaluation of the factor involved in these lesions is difficult since most previous series are heterogeneous. The purpose of this prospective randomized study was to ascertain the impact of lingual nerve protection in a homogeneous series including only patients undergoing third molar germectomy (i.e. removal of the developmental bud prior to anchoring of the roots in the jaw). Data from a total of 300 germectomy procedures were included in this study. All procedures were performed by the same experienced surgeon randomly with or without lingual nerve protection. No lingual nerve injury was observed after third molar germectomy regardless of whether or not lingual nerve protection was used. Lingual nerve protection is unnecessary for lower third molar germectomy.