https://ojs.uclouvain.be/index.php/nemesis/issue/feed 2026-02-03T11:36:29+00:00 Olszewski Raphael raphael.olszewski@saintluc.uclouvain.be Open Journal Systems <p>NEMESIS Negative Effects in Medical Sciences: Oral and maxillofacial surgery</p> <p>Currently most of the scientific journals accept to publish only ”<strong>positive effects</strong>” of experimental and clinical research. Only successful studies have the right to be published and cited.</p> <p>However, positive effects in research are frequently achieved after years of <strong>negative results</strong>. The negative results should also be accessible for scientific community as they represent the main source of <strong>progress, </strong>of<strong> inspiration, </strong>and of <strong>hope</strong>.</p> <p>This is an open access journal which means that all content is freely available without charge to the user or his/her institution. Users are allowed to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full texts of the articles, or use them for any other lawful purpose, without asking prior permission from the publisher or the author. This is in accordance with the BOAI definition of open access.</p> https://ojs.uclouvain.be/index.php/nemesis/article/view/91553 2026-02-03T11:25:51+00:00 Alec Craeynest alec_craeynest@hotmail.com Jorden Blok jordenblok@hotmail.com Olivia Maleux maleuxolivia@outlook.com Christophe Politis christophe.politis@gmail.com Dominique Gorlé dominique.gorle@vitaz.be Kristof Berquin kristof.berquin@vitaz.be Robin Snel robin.snel@vitaz.be Sofia Kalantary sofia.kalantary@vitaz.be Sebastien Ongena sebastien.ongena@vitaz.be Alexander Bral alexander.bral@vitaz.be Vincent Lenaerts vincent.lenaerts@vitaz.be

<p><strong>Objective</strong>: The aim of this study is to evaluate whether the simultaneous removal of mandibular third molars during sagittal split osteotomy (SSO) influences the incidence and severity of postoperative neurosensory disturbances of the inferior alveolar nerve (IAN).<strong>Material and methods</strong>: In this prospective cohort study, 172 SSO procedures were analyzed at the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, AZ VitazHospital, Belgium. Patients were divided into two groups: those with no third molars present (Group I,&nbsp;<em>n</em>&nbsp;= 117) and those undergoing simultaneous third molar removal during SSO (Group II,&nbsp;<em>n</em> = 55). Neurosensory function was evaluated at 1 day, 1 week, 3 weeks and 6 weeks postoperatively using objective (Medical Research Counsel (MRC) scale, two-point discrimination, static light touch, sharp/blunt discrimination) and subjective measures. Logistic regression and ANCOVA were used to assess associations between third molar status and neurosensory outcomes. <strong>Results</strong>: In both groups, high sensory recovery rates were achieved six weeks after surgery: 91% and 95%, respectively. There were no statistically significant differences between the groups in terms of the duration required to reach functional sensory recovery (p = .650), final MRC score distribution (p = .702), two-point discrimination scores, or static light touch or sharp/blunt discrimination. Entrapment of the IAN occurred more frequently in patients with third molars (69.1% vs. 53.8%), but this difference was not statistically significant (p = 0.058). Entrapment and patient age were significant predictors of neurosensory complaints. No adverse outcomes occurred in either group. <strong>Conclusions</strong>: Simultaneously removing mandibular third molars during SSO does not significantly impact postoperative neurosensory outcomes. Age and inferior alveolar nerve (IAN) entrapment are more critical risk factors for altered sensation. These findings support the safety of removing third molars at the same time as orthognathic surgery.</p>

2026-02-03T00:00:00+00:00 Copyright (c) 2026 Alec Craeynest, Jorden Blok, Olivia Maleux, Christophe Politis, Dominique Gorlé, Kristof Berquin, Robin Snel, Sofia Kalantary, Sebastien Ongena, Alexander Bral, Vincent Lenaerts