Somatosensory evoked potentials to electrical stimulation of the mental nerve.

A clinical test to elicit somatosensory evoked potentials (SEP's) to electrical (current) stimulation of the mental nerve, is described. Control data from 22 normal individuals were obtained which showed that in the initial 100 ms following the stimulus, SEPs with four positive components and five negative components could consistently be recorded. SEPs from three patients with trigeminal sensory symptoms were also elicited and these showed abnormal potentials in two cases with traumatised inferior dental and mental nerves, and normal potentials in the third case with subjective evidence of mental anaesthesia.