A Qualitative Study to Assess the Impact of Iatrogenic Trigeminal Nerve Injury

AIMS: To deepen knowledge of the impact of iatrogenic trigeminal nerve injury on dental patients. METHODS: One-to-one semi-structured interviews and workshops were conducted with 12 patients who had incurred a nerve injury from dental treatment. Nerve injury was diagnosed by oral surgeons via a series of neurosensory tests. Interpretive phenomenologic analysis was used to analyze the narratives from the interviews. RESULTS: Key themes are presented and discussed. These include the personal impact for the patient (which includes a change in self-perception), the impact on relationships, the impact on oral health care, and adjustment to the injury over time. Patients also discussed a change in how they perceived their dentist and other health care professionals and highlighted factors they would like to change within the dental care system. CONCLUSION: Recommendations are made for clinical practice and future research.