ObjectivesThe purpose of present article was to review aetiological factors,
mechanism, clinical symptoms, and diagnostic methods as well as to
create treatment guidelines for the management of inferior alveolar
nerve injury during dental implant placement.Material and MethodsLiterature was selected through a search of PubMed, Embase and Cochrane
electronic databases. The keywords used for search were inferior
alveolar nerve injury, inferior alveolar nerve injuries, inferior
alveolar nerve injury implant, inferior alveolar nerve damage, inferior
alveolar nerve paresthesia and inferior alveolar nerve repair. The
search was restricted to English language articles, published from 1972
to November 2010. Additionally, a manual search in the major anatomy,
dental implant, periodontal and oral surgery journals and books were
performed. The publications there selected by including clinical, human
anatomy and physiology studies.ResultsIn total 136 literature sources were obtained and reviewed. Aetiological
factors of inferior alveolar nerve injury, risk factors, mechanism,
clinical sensory nerve examination methods, clinical symptoms and
treatment were discussed. Guidelines were created to illustrate the
methods used to prevent and manage inferior alveolar nerve injury before
or after dental implant placement.ConclusionsThe damage of inferior alveolar nerve during the dental implant
placement can be a serious complication. Clinician should recognise and
exclude aetiological factors leading to nerve injury. Proper presurgery
planning, timely diagnosis and treatment are the key to avoid nerve
sensory disturbances management.