Risk of post-surgical inferior alveolar nerve injury in at-risk patients based on tomographic imaging features: Systematic review and Meta-analysis

Key Points

• The aim is to evaluate the risk of inferior alveolar nerve injury based on tomographic imaging features in specific patients.
• Conducted a systematic review of existing literature
• Performed a meta-analysis to quantify risk
• Analyzed tomographic factors such as mandibular canal position, shape, cortical status, and third molar morphology.
• Identified significant variations in risk of IAN injury based on tomographic features.
• Patients with specific anatomical factors faced higher risks of injury during surgery.