Mandible fracture is a common form of traumatic injuries of facial skeleton. Early detection of neurosensory impairment of facial region is important for adequate treatment. Measurement of current perception thresholds(CPTs) at each differnet frequencies (2000 Hz, 250 Hz, and 5 Hz) which correspond to Aβ, Aδ, and C fiber sub-populations were performed to trigeminal nerve main branch, opthalmic division, maxillary division, and mandibular division of 20 patients with mandibular angle fracture and 29 normal subjects.
There were no significant differences in CPTs at three different frequencies of trigeminal nerve main branch between patient group and control group. In opthalmic division, the CPT of patient at 5 Hz was significantly higher than control group (p<0.05). But, there were no significant differences in CPTs at 2000 Hz and 250 Hz between patient and control group. In maxillary division, the CPT of patient at 5 Hz was significantly higher than control group(p<0.05), and there were no significant differences in CPTs at 2000 Hz and 250 Hz between patient and control group. In mandibular division, there were significantly differences in CPTs at three different frequencies between patient and control group (2000 Hz: p<0.01, 250 Hz, 5 Hz: p<0.05).
Evaluation of CPTs can be a valuable tool for detection of sensory changes on orofacial region after traumatic injuries of facial skeleton.
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