Conduction velocity of the human inferior alveolar nerve: a preliminary report

This preliminary report describes a technique to consistently record electrophysiological signals from the uninjured inferior alveolar nerves of human subjects. Bilateral recordings were obtained from 15 consecutive human volunteers. The mean conduction velocity was 67.6 m/s, with no differences shown for right or left sides or gender. Conduction velocity testing could offer a new objectivity in the clinical study of the inferior alveolar nerve, aiding in the documentation, diagnosis, management, and follow-up of the sometimes complex neural lesions that oral and maxillofacial surgeons routinely see.