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A Quantitative Morphological Comparison of Cat Lingual Nerve Repair Using Epineurial Sutures or Entubulation

Department of Cariology, Restorative Sciences and Endodontics, School of Dentistry, 1011 N. University, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-1078

D. Andrade

Department of Restorative Dentistry, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2N8, Canada

K.G. Smith

Department of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery, School of Clinical Dentistry, University of Sheffield, Claremont Crescent, Sheffield S10 2TA, England

S. Lahl

Department of Restorative Dentistry, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2N8, Canada

P.P. Robinson

Department of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery, School of Clinical Dentistry, University of Sheffield, Claremont Crescent, Sheffield S10 2TA, England

E. Pehowich

Department of Restorative Dentistry, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2N8, Canada

Since lingual nerves may be transected during a variety of oral surgical procedures, including third molar removal, we have investigated two possible methods of repair. Quantitative morphological observations were made on feline chorda tympani and lingual nerves proximal and distal to transection injuries repaired either by epineurial suturing or by insertion of the cut ends into a perforated silicon tube. Proximal to the repair, the most prominent difference was an increase in the number of myelinated axons in the lingual nerve following epineurial suturing but not entubulation. Proximal to the repair site, the number of non-myelinated axons increased in comparison with controls in both chorda tympani and lingual nerves after both procedures, though the difference was statistically significant only in the lingual nerve proximal to entubulation. Distal to the injury, both types of repair showed a reduction in the number, size, and sheath thickness of myelinated axons in comparison with unoperated controls, but the difference in numbers was statistically signficant only distal to repair by entubulation. The number of non-myelinated axons distal to the repair sites was much higher than that in controls, the difference being greater distal to entubulation repair. There were more axons per Remak bundle distal to entubulation repair than to epineurial suturing, suggesting, perhaps, that fewer axons would ultimately become myelinated. Though the morphological differences between the two repair techniques are not as striking as the parallel electrophysiological differences reported previously (Smith and Robinson, 1995a,b), they are consistent with them and support the conclusion that, for transected lingual and chorda tympani nerves, epineurial suturing is the preferred approach. Key words: lingual nerve, injury, oral surgery, taste.

Journal of Dental Research, Vol. 75, No. 3, 942-948 (1996)
DOI: 10.1177/00220345960750031201


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