Damage of Inferior Alveolar Nerve in Mandible Fracture Cases

The investigation was performed on 195 patients, who had fracture on mandibular angle zone. In control group pain thresholds of infraorbital nerve and inferior alveolar nerve did not differ significantly (p> 0.05). Consequently, lesion degree of inferior alveolar nerve and its functional recovery dynamics was estimated objectively according to pain threshold and lesion index of neural function, namely, by dividing the pain threshold of inferior alveolar nerve by the one of infraorbital nerve. Stump dislocation extent has influence on neural lesion: the more expressed dislocation, the higher likelihood of severe lesion of inferior alveolar nerve. It was identified three degrees of neural lesion in the case of mandibular angle fracture. When minor lesion of inferior alveolar nerve takes place (17.4%), sensation recovers in 21 days after stump reposition and fixation; moderate lesion of nerve (55.8%) has sensory recovery after 28 days, and in the case of severe lesion of nerve (26.6%) neural function does not recover even after 90 days. Key words: inferior alveolar nerve damage, mandible fracture Stomatologija, Baltic Dental and Maxillofacial Journal, 6:122-25, 200