Novel strategy to predict high risk of inferior alveolar nerve injury during extraction of lower third molars based on assessment of computed tomographic images of multiple anatomical features.

Preoperative assessment is essential to prevent inferior alveolar nerve (IAN) injury during surgical extraction of the lower third molar (LM3). Here, we aimed to establish an assessment system to predict IAN injury during surgical extraction of the LM3. We conducted a retrospective cohort study on 115 patients diagnosed as 'high-risk' based on our previous risk assessment method involving three anatomical features of the inferior alveolar canal using computed tomographic (CT) images. We evaluated the occurrence of neurosensory impairment in these high-risk patients, and its association with novel anatomic features based on CT images. Neurosensory impairments were observed in 19 patients (16.5%). The inferior alveolar canal major diameter (p < 0.0001) and lingual bone thickness (p = 0.0039) were significantly associated with the occurrence of neurosensory impairment during LM3 extraction. Receiver operating characteristic curves were used to determine cut-off values of these quantitative factors to specifically predict IAN injury. Preoperative risk assessment with quantitative factors based on anatomical features observed on CT images may facilitate more appropriate surgical planning for patients at a high risk of IAN injury.

Clinical significance of computed tomography assessment for third molar surgery.

Surgical extraction of the third molar is the most commonly performed surgical procedure in the clinical practice of oral surgery. Third molar surgery is warranted when there is inadequate space for eruption, malpositioning, or risk for cyst or odontogenic tumor formation. Preoperative assessment should include a detailed morphologic analysis of the third molar and its relationship to adjacent structures and surrounding tissues. Due to developments in medical engineering technology, computed tomography (CT) now plays a critical role in providing the clear images required for adequate assessment prior to third molar surgery. Removal of the maxillary third molar is associated with a risk for maxillary sinus perforation, whereas removal of the mandibular third molar can put patients at risk for a neurosensory deficit from damage to the lingual nerve or inferior alveolar nerve. Multiple factors, including demographic, anatomic, and treatment-related factors, influence the incidence of nerve injury during or following removal of the third molar. CT assessment of the third molar prior to surgery can identify some of these risk factors, such as the absence of cortication between the mandibular third molar and the inferior alveolar canal, prior to surgery to reduce the risk for nerve damage. This topic highlight presents an overview of the clinical significance of CT assessment in third molar surgery.