Paresthesia associated with endodontic treatment of mandibular premolars.

The objective of this retrospective study was to determine how often paresthesia occurs and to examine the role of the anatomy of the inferior alveolar nerve (IAN). The study took the form of a review of the records of the endodontic department at the Creighton University School of Dentistry, a literature review, and cadaver dissections. The result showed that of 6313 teeth treated during a 7-yr period, 832 were mandibular premolar teeth. The eight reported cases of paresthesia in that group reflected an incidence of 0.96%. Observations of dissected human-cadaver mandibles indicated that the paresthesias of the mandible could be related to the confinement of the IAN within the limits of the mandible. It was concluded that these paresthesias were related to the intrabony course of the IAN through the mandible, which contributed to the paresthesia symptoms.