Neurodental Complications: A Comprehensive Review

In dentistry although research shows only a few neurological complications but to subvert any further problems it is important to have a thorough understanding about the dental procedures. Local anaesthesia administration is commonly performed in dentistry, as it is an effective and safe way of achieving analgesia and numbness for routine procedures. Although local anesthesia is a fairly safe approach, adverse local and systemic complications do occur. Like all foreign bodies, injection of a local anaesthetic can also bring upon bodily reactions in the form of complications apart from nerve trauma, vascular injury, glandular or muscular complications, or the more recently documented middle ear and/or ophthalmic complications. Neurologic complications pertaining to extraction of lower third molars can occur due to many reasons such as improper diagnosis or incorrect surgical technique. When procedural injuries to trigeminal nerves (TNIs) are considered in dentistry, high risk procedures such as third molar surgery, endodontic nerve injures, temporomandibular disorders (TMDs) are considered first. Complications post routine endodontics may be due to overextension of endodontic filling which may have mechanical and/or chemical mode of irritation within the surrounding area including nerves. The nerves can be subjected to damage by mechanical irritation cause by overinstrumentation during root canal preparation and/or by apical extension of filling material causing a chemical irritation. Therefore, the aim of the present article is to elaborate the neurological complications associated with different types of dental procedures.