International journal of oral and maxillofacial surgery
-
Fifty-four injection injuries in 52 patients were caused by mandibular block analgesia affecting the lingual nerve (n=42) and/or the inferior alveolar nerve (n=12). All patients were examined with a standardized test of neurosensory functions. The perception of the following stimuli was assessed: feather light touch, pinprick, sharp/dull discrimination, warm, cold, point location, brush stroke direction, 2-point discrimination and pain perception. ⋯ Unlike most mechanical injuries after surgery, injection injuries were not followed by a course of spontaneous improvement of neurosensory and/or gustatory function. This may indicate neurotoxicity as a central aetiological factor. Fifty-four percent of the nerve injuries were associated with Articaine 4%, and a substantial increase in the number of injection injuries followed its introduction to the Danish market.