Prevalence of lingual sensory impairment following bilateral sagittal split osteotomy: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

PURPOSE: Our study aims to estimate the prevalence of lingual nerve injury following bilateral sagittal split osteotomy (BSSO).

METHODS: Two reviewers independently conducted a systematic literature search in the Medline and Scopus databases. The pooled prevalence with 95% confidence intervals (CI) was estimated, and quality assessment, outlier analysis, and influential analysis were performed.

RESULTS: In total, eleven eligible studies comprising a total of 1,882 participants were included in this meta-analysis. One study was identified as critically influential. The overall prevalence of lingual sensory impairment was estimated to be as high as 0.1% (95% CI 0.0%-0.6%) with moderate heterogeneity observed between studies.

CONCLUSION: It is important for healthcare professionals to be aware of this issue, despite the relatively low rate of lingual nerve deficit after BSSO. Additional research will provide a more comprehensive understanding of the underlying factors contributing to lingual nerve injury, leading to improved preventive measures and treatment strategies. Furthermore, insights gained from future studies will enable healthcare professionals to inform patients about the potential complications and manage their expectations before undergoing BSSO.