Coronectomy
Dental News Volume XXII, Number I, March, 2015 By Dr. P. Dhanrajani, and Dr. R. Weld-Moore Introduction The problem of inferior alveolar nerve involvement during surgical procedure of the removal of lower third molars is often a source of litigations 1,2,3 . At the same time the impact of this on a person’s quality of life should not be overlooked. Coronectomy or partial odontectomy reduces the likelihood of nerve injury by insuring retention of the vital roots when they are close or associated with the inferior alveolar nerve as evaluated by plain radiography or CBCT 4,5 . The method aims to remove only the crown part of an impacted mandibular third molar while leaving the root and pulp undisturbed, thereby avoiding direct or indirect damage to the inferior alveolar nerve 6,7,8 . Literature so far has hailed its merits and many practitioners regularly use the approach of coronectomy in order to minimise Inferior alveolar nerve injuries. This techni...