Paraesthesia
Pronunciation: pa-res-THEE-zee-ah
An abnormal cutaneous sensation — such as tingling, burning, or numbness — resulting from damage to or compression of a sensory nerve, commonly documented as a postoperative complication in oral surgery.
Full Definition
In oral surgical contexts, paraesthesia most frequently refers to altered sensation in the distribution of the inferior alveolar nerve or lingual nerve following third molar surgery, implant placement, or sagittal split osteotomy. It may be described as hypoaesthesia (reduced sensation), anaesthesia (absent sensation), or dysaesthesia (unpleasant altered sensation). The British English spelling is 'paraesthesia'; the American English spelling is 'paresthesia'. Editors working on documents with mixed readerships or international submissions must apply one spelling consistently throughout. Paraesthesia should be distinguished from 'hyperaesthesia' (increased sensitivity) and from 'anaesthesia' (complete loss of sensation) when documenting postoperative neurological assessments.
Usage
Usage note: British English: 'paraesthesia'; American English: 'paresthesia'. Editors must standardise to the publication's house style. Do not use interchangeably with 'anaesthesia' (complete loss) or 'dysaesthesia' (unpleasant altered sensation).
In Context
- "At the six-week review, the patient reported persistent paraesthesia of the left lower lip consistent with inferior alveolar nerve neuropraxia." — Follow-up Clinical Note
- "The manuscript used 'paresthesia' throughout; as this is a British journal, it should be standardised to 'paraesthesia'." — Copyediting Note