Peripheral facial nerve paralysis (PFNP) is often used synonymously with the term “Bell's palsy”. Approxi mately 80% of patients with all of the facial nerve paralysisare Bell's palsy. However, the majority of cases remain without an identified etiology and eventually are diagnosed as idiopathic peripheral facial palsy, or Bell's palsy. This paper reports on the analysis of 13 cases of PFNP after dental treatment. Thirteen out of 28 cases of Bell's palsy, treated in the First Department of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery, Kyushu University Dental Hospital over the past 15 years between 1988 to 2003, had an epi sodewith dental treatment including 3 cases of resin filling, 2 of pulpectomy, cementation, root canal treatment, and 1 of tooth extraction, scaling, denture adjustment, disinfection, respectively. We discuss the possible asso ciationbetween PFNP and dental treatment.
