Variant Inferior Alveolar Nerves and Implications for Local Anesthesia

A sound knowledge of anatomical variations that could be encountered during surgical procedures is helpful in avoiding surgical complications. The current article details anomalous morphology of inferior alveolar nerves encountered during routine dissection of the craniofacial region in the Gross Anatomy laboratory. We also report variations of the lingual nerves, associated with the inferior alveolar nerves. The variations were documented and a thorough review of literature was carried out. We focus on the variations themselves, and the clinical implications that these variations present. Thorough understanding of variant anatomy of the lingual and inferior alveolar nerves may determine the success of procedural anesthesia, the etiology of pathologic processes, and the avoidance of surgical misadventure.