Combined preoperative measurement of three inferior alveolar canal factors using computed tomography predicts the risk of inferior alveolar nerve injury during lower third molar extraction

A retrospective cohort study was performed to assess the clinical usefulness of combination assessment using computed tomography (CT) images in patients undergoing third molar extraction. This study included 85 patients (124 extraction sites). The relationship between cortication status, buccolingual position, and shape of the inferior alveolar canal (IAC) on CT images and the incidence of inferior alveolar nerve (IAN) injury after third molar extraction was evaluated. IAN injury was observed at eight of the 124 sites (6.5%), and in five of 19 sites (26.3%) in which cortication was absent + the IAC had a lingual position + the IAC had a dumbbell shape. Significant relationships were found between IAN injury and the three IAC factors (cortication status, IAC position, and IAC shape; P = 0.0001). In patients with the three IAC factors, logistic regression analysis indicated a strong association between these factors and IAN injury (P = 0.007). An absence of cortication, a lingually positioned IAC, and a dumbbell-shaped IAC are considered to indicate a high risk of IAN injury according to the logistic regression analysis (P = 0.007). These results suggest that a combined assessment of these three IAC factors could be useful for the improved prediction of IAN injury.