The morphological location of mandibular and mental foramen in mixed dentition period - a cbct study

Introduction: The assessment of the mandibular and mental foramen is of considerable importance for mandibular nerve anesthesia. There may be failure of mandibular nerve block due to improper evaluation of the location of mandibular and mental foramen resulting in painful treatment procedures especially in children. The location of mandibular and mental foramen shows considerable variation among different population, in different ages and even within the same individual on two sides.
Aim: To determine the location of mandibular foramen(MF) and mental foramen (MeF) in mixed dentition period using cone beam computed tomography.
Materials and Methods: A total of 100, MF and MeF (right and left) were obtained from fifty CBCT images of children (6-14years). Distance from MF to the anterior(A), posterior(P) and inferior border of the mandible(MI), mandibular notch(MN), occlusal plane of the mandibular permanent molars(O) and the distance from MeF to lower border of mandible(BM) and to the alveolar crest(AC) were measured.
Results: There was statistically increase in P-MF, MN-MF, O-MF values with age. MN-MF, MI-MF and A-MF values of females were statistically higher than those of males and there is significant difference in AC-MeF, BM-MeF values with age.
Conclusion: The location of the MF is just posterior to the middle of the ramus and MF and MeF is shifting superiorly with increasing age.