Abstract: The trigeminal nerve and its peripheral branches are susceptible to injury in the dental practice due to surgical removal of impacted third molars and placement of dental implants. Although peripheral trigeminal nerve injuries can undergo spontaneous regeneration, some injuries may be permanent with varying degrees of continued sensory impairment and neuropathic pain ranging from mild numbness to complete anaesthesia (Tay and Zuniga, 2007). Adult neurons require continued neurotrophic support from surrounding cells to sustain neural viability, inhibit death-inducing pathways activating a variety of cell survival pathways (Zheng and Quirion, 2004).