European Journal of Molecular & Clinical Medicine

Injury to the inferior alveolar nerve (IAN) is a significant complication in lower third molar surgery. It results in an IAN deficit presenting as hypoesthesia, hyperesthesia, or, worst of all, dysesthesia of the lower lip and mental region on the affected side. Coronectomy was developed as a relatively new preventive method to decrease the prevalence of IAN injury compared with the conventional total removal of the lower third molar. This review study was designed to answer the clinical question of whether coronectomy of the lower third molar is safe in the long term.