Applications of trigeminal somatosensory evoked potentials in the investigation of unilateral lesion of the inferior dental nerve: report of 2 cases.

2 cases were reported in which trigeminal somatosensory evoked potential (TSEPs) confirmed the presence of unilateral lesions of branches of the trigeminal nerve, and were used to predict the prognosis. The TSEPs allowed an accurate prediction of the prognosis. The first patient regained sensation on the numb side of the tongue as predicted from the TSEPs, whilst the TSEPs also predicted a poorer prognosis for the second patient, who might not regain sensation on the numb side of the tongue unless a successful nerve grafting was done. TSEPs could indeed be very useful in the management of lesions involving the trigeminal nerve, and especially in the follow-up investigations.