Assessment of facial nerve injury with “House and Brackmann facial nerve grading system” in patients of temporomandibular joint ankylosis operated using deep subfascial approach

Preservation of the functional integrity of the facial nerve (FN) is a critical measure of success in temporomandibular joint (TMJ) surgery. In spite of the development of a myriad of surgical approaches to the TMJ, FN remains at risk. The deep subfascial approach provides an additional layer of protection (the deep layer of the temporalis fascia and the superficial temporal fat pad) to the temporal and zygomatic branches of the FN and thus, is the safest method to avoid FN injury.