Abstract :
Aim and Objective: The purpose of the present study was to radiographically determine the position and size of the mental foramen, its distance from adjacent teeth and mandibular borders, the angulation of the mental canal, by using CBCT.Material and Methods: 137 CBCT scans (78 females and 59 males) were evaluated that meet the inclusion criteria. The DICOM data was analyzed in CS3D software. X-slice (sagittal view): position of the MF related to long axis of adjacent teeth, height of MF (craniocaudal distance), length of MF (mesiodistal distance), shortest distance from MF to adjacent root. Y-slice (coronal view): course of the mental canal (MeC) in the vertical plane, angulation of MeC to buccal bone surface, distance from superior margin of MF to alveolar bone crest, distance from inferior margin of MF to lower border of mandible. Descriptive statistics like frequency (n) & percentage (%) of categorical data, mean & Standard deviation of numerical data in each group/subgroup was depicted.Result: Mental foramen in most subjects was present mesial to the second premolar (61.3%). The anterior loop was present in 35.8%. There was a non-significant difference in the horizontal and vertical length of MF among various age groups. Angulation of MF increased with age; however, the difference in the angulation among various age groups was non-significant. The difference among various age groups was non-significant. There was a non-significant difference in the position of mental foramen according to the second premolar among various age groups.Conclusion: Application of CBCT analysis empowered a detailed determination of the size, position and shape of the mental foramen in relation to the adjacent anatomical structures on a representative group of Navi Mumbai patients. The results obtained may contribute to guidelines for dental procedures including dental surgery, anesthesia and most importantly for implantology in the second premolar region with regards to the location of mental foramen according to the sex and age of patients.
Keyword :
Mental foramen, Position, Dentate individual