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Controversy still exists regarding the surgical treatment of ameloblastoma of mandible. The spectrum of surgery generally ranges from enucleation to segmental resection of the mandible with a 1-cm safe margin. Factors influencing the modalities used include age of the patient, presence of severe systemic disease, availability of long-term follow-up, location and size of the tumor, radiographic and histologic features of the tumor, and the preference of the surgeon as well as the patient.1 In addition to the extent of osseous resection, another difficult decision to be made is whether to preserve the inferior alveolar nerve. In general, preservation of the nerve is attempted only when it lies outside the boundary of the tumor. In block resection, the bundle is usually removed with the tumor. However, Becker2 described resecting segments of mandible with preservation of the nerve for histologically diagnosed cystic ameloblastoma. Surgical removal of some length of the neurovascular bundle was recommended when it was surrounded by a solid form of this tumor.3 Nevertheless, there was no evidence that the tumor invaded the nerve bundle. Zehm,4 histologically, found the tumor cells no deeper than the epineural surface of the inferior alveolar nerve in 5 cases of ameloblastoma. On this basis, it seems that there is some room for safe preservation of the inferior alveolar nerve even when the neurovascular bundle traverses the tumor. Report of Case