Standardising the Documentation of Lingual Nerve Injury

ABSTRACT Introduction Lingual nerve injury is a well‐described complication of mandibular third molar removal and can significantly impair quality of life. These patients often present post‐operatively to oral and maxillofacial/oral surgery emergency clinics and are seen by the Dental Core Trainee on call. Literature Review Literature review demonstrated that national consensus guidance on documentation does not exist; we propose a proforma to standardise the examination and documentation of lingual nerve injury, which can be reproduced for use in all departments. We recommend inclusion of clinical photography of the tongue, facilitating diagrammatic representation of the affected area. If complete anaesthesia occurs and fails to improve on serial examinations, then an early lingual nerve repair may be warranted. Conclusions This easy to use, reliable and reproducible proforma may enable identification of patients at risk of permanent lingual nerve injury, act as a baseline for comparison, and provide a powerful tool to demonstrate improvements to patients. It can also be used for clinical audit and medicolegal purposes.