J Korean Assoc Oral Maxillofac Surg.  2006 Oct;32(5):464-473.

The study of evaluation to relationship between the inferior alveolar nerve and the mandibular third molar by using radiographic image

Affiliations
  • 1Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Dental Science Research Institute, School of Dentistry, Chonnam National University, Korea. gong9771@hanmail.net

Abstract

PURPOSE: This study was performed to evaluate relationship between the inferior alveolar nerve injury and the findings of panoramic and tomographic images for preventing inferior alveolar nerve injury after the 3rd molar extraction. MATERIAL AND METHOD: From April, 2005 to June, 2005, The 190 patients who visited in the Department of Oral and Maxillofacia Surgery, Chonnam National University Hospital and the panoramic radiographies were taken for extraction of the mandibular third molar, was selected. Among 215 mandibular third molars, Scanora tomographic imagings were taken in the 90 teeth which were overlaped to the mandibular canal in the panoramic imagies. In panoramic radiographies, the angulation, the level, the root morphology, and the superimposition sign of the mandibular third molars with the mandibular canal were evaluated. In the tomographic radiographies, the location and distance of the mandibular third molar from the canal were also evaluated. The relationships between these findings and the inferior alveolar nerve injury were examined.
RESULTS
In the panoramic findings, the inferior alveolar nerve injuries were occurred in the darkened roots (5 molars, 7%), the uncontinuous radiopaque image (3 molars, 7%), and the depositioned mandibular canal (2 molars, 10%). In the tomographic findings of 90 molars, 20 molars also had the superimposition imagies. Five molars in those molars (25%) had the inferior alveolar nerve injury after extraction. There were 10 patients who had the inferior alveolar nerve injury. The sensory was began to be recovered in 9 patients, except 1 patient, within 2 weeks, then fully recovered within 3 months.
CONCLUSION
These results indicate that the depth mandibular third molar and the superimposition sign may be related with the risk of the inferior alveolar nerve injury after extraction.

Keyword

Inferior alveolar nerve; Mandibular third molar; Panoramic and tomographic images

MeSH Terms

Humans
Jeollanam-do
Mandibular Nerve*
Molar
Molar, Third*
Radiography, Dental, Digital
Radiography, Panoramic
Tooth
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