Implant injury case series and review of the literature part 1: Inferior alveolar nerve injury

Abstract

Injury to adjacent structures is an unfortunate and avoidable outcome of oral implant placement surgery. Paramount among these is perforation into paranasal sinus; into neighboring tooth root; through cortical plate; and into vessels, canals, and, most importantly, nerves. In most cases, injudicious oral implant placement can be attributed to poor treatment planning. We present the cases of several patients referred for postsurgical radiology that illustrate injury to the inferior alveolar canal by implant impingement, penetration, and even complete obliteration of the nerve and canal in the absence of proper treatment planning and imaging modalities. The authors stress the importance of thorough implant case preparation and planning, which may include the use of cone beam computerized tomography in order to minimize nerve injury.