Maxillofacial surgeries carry a risk of facial nerve injury (FNI) in the form of
nerve paralysis. These injuries can be classified according to the onset of facial
paralysis and the nature of the injury. The current literature shows several
oral and maxillofacial surgeries associated with facial nerve injuries, such as
parotid gland related procedures, temporomandibular joint (TMJ)
replacement and mastoidectomy. Reporting of the incidence of facial injury
following these procedures varied across studies. Therefore, our aim is to
provide a review of the current literature reporting FNI following TMJ
reconstruction and parotidectomy and report its distribution across different
demographic characteristics. A systematic review and a meta-analysis were
done following preferred reporting items for systematic review and metaanalysis
(PRISMA) guidelines. Our findings indicate that females were more
likely to develop FNI following the selected surgeries when compared to
males. Out of 2013 patients who underwent parotidectomy procedures, 286
developed FNI with an incidence of 21.97% (95%CI: 10.39-36.41) and the most
affected branch was the marginal mandibular branch. Among 154 patients
who had TMJ-related procedures, 55 developed FNI with an incidence
proportion of 29.99% (95%CI: 12.97-50.53) the temporal branch was the most
affected.
Keywords: Facial nerve, Mastoidectomy, Parotidectomy, Temporomandibular
joint
