Lingual Nerve Injury During Impacted Mandibular Third Molar Surgery

To determine the frequency of lingual nerve injury (LNI) during the surgical removal of mandibular third molar and the associated risk factors.

Descriptive study. Place and Duration of the Study: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Ayub Teaching Hospital, Abbottabad, from January to June 2021.

A total of 121 patients were included in this study who had undergone impacted third molar surgery. Data were collected on a proforma via interview. Patients were followed up after 1 week, 1 month, and 3 months of duration. Frequency of LNI and its association with various surgical procedure steps were determined.

This study shows that out of 121 patients, frequency of LNI was found to be 3.3% (n=4). The type of impaction (p=0.047), lingual flap retraction (p<0.001), tooth splitting (p=0.029), and longer duration of surgery were found to be significantly associated with it.

The frequency of LNI during mandibular impacted third molar surgery was 3.3% in this study, and significantly associated with horizontal impaction, lingual flap retraction, tooth splitting, and duration of surgery longer than 30 minutes.

Lingual nerve injury, Tooth, Impaction, Third molar, Lingual flap retraction, Tooth splitting.