Analysis of Patients with Mandibular Nerve Damage after Root Canal Therapy

Reported causes of mandibular nerve injury in relation to neuropathic pain in dentistry include extraction, dental implant surgery, oral and maxillofacial surgery, periodontal treatment, and root-canal therapy. This study analyzed the characteristics of pharmacologic management of neuropathy after root-canal therapy. 32 patients who complain of abnormal sensation or pain after root-canal therapy and were referred to Department of Oral Medicine and the Temporomandibular Joint and Orofacial Pain Clinic at the Dental Hospital of Yonsei University, Seoul, Korea from 2004 to 2011 enrolled in this analysis and improvement of symptom was evaluated after pharmacologic management. Thirty-two patients who had hypoesthesia or dysesthesia at the initial visit were analyzed(9 men, 23 women; mean age: 44 years). The causes of neuropathy were local anesthesia(46.9%), chemical trauma from the sealant in root-canal(25%), endodontic surgery(15.6%), and unknown causes(12.5%). Medications such as steroids, anticonvulsants, antidepressants, and analgesics were took for improvement of symptoms and titrated for a variety of period from 1 week to 11 months. It was found that neuropathy of the inferior alveolar nerve and the lingual nerve was in 25 and 7 patients. The improvement of neurosensory disturbance and no improvement after pharmacotherapy was in 21(66%) and 11(34%) patients respectively. The hypoesthesia and dysesthesia was improved 67% and 65% respectively. These results suggest that symptomatic improvement by pharmacologic management can be possible in patients with neuropathy after root-canal therapy. But improvement of symptoms was influenced by the causes and degree of nerve injury, the periods of pharmacotherapy, and the choice of treatment methods. So, further investigation is needed by quantitative measurement of more variables in more individuals.ope