title: Prospective study of postoperative sensory disturbances after surgical treatment of mandibular fractures.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  This present study's purpose is to evaluate the degree of paresthesia and recovery of inferior alveolar nerve in patients with mandible fractures who underwent surgical treatment.
  
  
  METHODS
  Nineteen patients were evaluated (27 hemimandibles) at six different times: preoperative (T1), postoperative 1 week (T2), postoperative 1 month (T3), postoperative 3 months (T4), postoperative 6 months (T5), and postoperative 1 year (T6). Subjective and objective methods were used for this evaluation.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The results were analyzed using likelihood ratio chi-square test for the hypothesis of no association between indicators of sensitivity and responses to the questionnaire, and the Cochran-Mantel-Haenszel test for equality hypothesis. All objective tests showed a statistically significant worsening in sensitivity at T2 (p < 0.0001) and a significant improvement after T4 (α < 0.05). The subjective tests showed an association with the objectives tests, and improvement in sensitivity after T4 (p < 0.0001) was noted.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The first postoperative week is the period in which there are major changes with respect to sensitivity, and after 3 months postoperatively, the recovery reaches its apex with little difference observed after this period. In this research 100 % of the patients analyzed recovered all sensibility until T6.
authors.affiliation: Piracicaba Dental School, State University of Campinas-UNICAMP, CP 52, 13.414-903, Piracicaba, São Paulo, Brazil. gabrielamayrink@fop.unicamp.br
authors.forename: Gabriela
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Mayrink
authors.forename: Roger William Fernandes
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: Moreira
authors.forename: Marcelo Marotta
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Araujo
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001860:Bone Plates; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D002680:Chin / Q000294:innervation; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005593:Fracture Fixation, Internal; D006801:Humans; D016013:Likelihood Functions; D008297:Male; D008337:Mandibular Fractures / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D008340:Mandibular Nerve / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009460:Neurologic Examination; D010292:Paresthesia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D011446:Prospective Studies; D055815:Young Adult