Assessment of Neurosensory Changes and their Correlation with the Distance between Dental Implants and the Inferior Alveolar Nerve after Implantation

Neurosensory disorders after implant insertion are one of the main concerns in implant treatments. Neurosensory disorders can be driven by different factors including the contact of the implant with the nerve, pressure of edema, hematoma, scar, or dental injections. This study aimed at investigating the distance between the implant and the inferior alveolar nerve (IAN) and its impact on neurosensory disorders. In this descriptive study, panoramic radiographs were taken from 100 patients experiencing neurosensory changes after 10 days of implantation. The patients were reassessed 4 weeks later, and the distance (mm) between the implants and the IAN was measured. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. All patients experienced neurosensory changes 10 days after implantation. Four weeks after surgery, 82 patients healed: the distance between the implants and the IAN was 1-2 mm in 16 patients and 2 mm in 66 patients. In 18 patients, neurosensory changes persisted; in this group, the distance between the implants and the IAN was less than 1 mm in 11 patients, 1-2 mm in 6 patients, and more than 2 mm in 1 patient. The results indicated that the chance of healing of neurosensory changes is significantly correlated with the distance between the implant and the IAN (P<0.01). This correlation was not significant with respect to age or gender (P<0.9). It seems that the lesser is the distance between the implant and the IAN, the lower is the chance of healing of neurosensory changes.