Successful inferior alveolar nerve decompression for dysesthesia following endodontic treatment: report of 4 cases treated by mandibular sagittal osteotomy.

Endodontic overfilling involving the mandibular canal may cause an injury of the inferior alveolar nerve (IAN) resulting in disabling sensory disturbances such as pain, dysesthesia, paresthesia, hypoesthesia, or anesthesia. Two fundamental mechanisms are responsible for the injury: the chemical neurotoxicity and the mechanical compression caused by the extruded material. Although spontaneous resorption has been described for some materials, early surgical exploration with removal of the material and decompression of the IAN should be performed, irrespective of the material used, given that the importance of nerve damage increases with the duration of the injury. We report 4 cases of disabling dysesthesia and paresthesia following endodontic treatment of lower molars in which sagittal osteotomy was used to remove the endodontic paste and to perform nerve decompression. All the patients experienced immediate relief of dysesthesia and paresthesia.