Nerve Injuries: Challenges & Opportunities

Recorded On: 03/27/2018

Trigeminal nerve injuries occur commonly following third molar surgery, orthognathic surgery, maxillofacial trauma, implant placement, and ablative mandibular resection for pathologic disease, and result in significant patient morbidity. Nerve injuries are diagnosed and classified based upon the likelihood of an injured nerve to recover spontaneously. Patient evaluation includes a standard set of objective and subjective neurosensory tests. Both non-surgical and microsurgical treatment options are available. In an effort to increase awareness and access to care, new technology, microsurgical techniques, and materials availability (processed nerve allograft) have improved our ability to manage these injuries most appropriately, and have also expanded the applications of trigeminal nerve microneurosurgery, resulting in excellent success rates and decreased patient morbidity.

Learning Objectives

1. Be familiar with the demographics of trigeminal nerve injuries

2. Understand the non-surgical and surgical treatment options for injuries to the lingual and inferior alveolar nerves

3. Describe the current advances and applications in the field of microneurosurgery

Michael Miloro, DMD, MD, FACS

Professor and Head of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery

University of Illinois at Chicago College of Dentistry

Dr. Michael Miloro is Professor and Head of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Dentistry. He attended college at the University of Rochester earning a B.S. degree in Neuroscience. He attended dental school at Tufts University in Boston, and medical school and residency training in General Surgery, and Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. Dr. Miloro has held academic positions at The Ohio State University, University of Maryland, and University of Nebraska. Dr. Miloro is a Diplomate and past-Examiner for the American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, a Faculty Fellow of the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons, a Fellow of the International Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons, and a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons. Dr. Miloro has major clinical and research interests in orthognathic surgery, TMJ surgery, implant surgery, and trigeminal nerve injuries and reconstruction. Dr. Miloro has lectured nationally and internationally, has published extensively in the medical and dental literature with over 150 peer-reviewed publications. Dr. Miloro currently serves as the Section Editor of the Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and is Editor of three major textbooks including Peterson's Principles of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Complications in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, and Trigeminal Nerve Injuries.