Abstract
Introduction
The mental foramen (MF) houses vital neurovascular structures, thus making it an anatomic
landmark of great importance for many dental procedures. Because the size and position
of the MF can vary, proper planning is necessary beforehand to prepare the strategy
of treatment. The purpose of this retrospective observational study was to determine
and compare the size and position of the MF using the CS 9000 CBCT unit (Carestream
Dental, Rochester, NY) to the findings from similar studies.
Methods
Tangential, axial, and coronal CBCT images of 106 patients were retrospectively evaluated
to determine the size and position of the MF with respect to the mandibular second
premolar apex and the cementoenamel junction. Distinguishing characteristics of sex,
age, and race were evaluated.
Results
Regarding location, 53.7% of the MFs were located mesial, 45.3% distal, and 1% coincident
to the apex of the mandibular second premolar. Males had a significantly greater coronal
height and tangential height measurement than females. Black patients had a significantly
greater distal horizontal distance from the cementoenamel junction than white patients.
The mean width of the MF was 4.08 mm (axial) or 4.12 mm (tangential), whereas the
mean height was 3.54 mm (tangential) or 3.55 mm (coronal).
Conclusions
The present study shows that the size and position of the MF can be reliably measured
using limited field of view CBCT technology. The findings are similar to previous
studies when considering the averages and ranges of the measurements.
Key Words
To read this article in full you will need to make a payment
Purchase one-time access:
Academic & Personal: 24 hour online accessCorporate R&D Professionals: 24 hour online accessOne-time access price info
- For academic or personal research use, select 'Academic and Personal'
- For corporate R&D use, select 'Corporate R&D Professionals'
Subscribe:
Subscribe to Journal of EndodonticsAlready a print subscriber? Claim online access
Already an online subscriber? Sign in
Register: Create an account
Institutional Access: Sign in to ScienceDirect
References
- The mental foramen and nerve: clinical and anatomical factors related to dental implant placement: a literature review.J Periodontol. 2006; 77: 1933-1943
- Roentgenologic study of the mental foramen.Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol. 1976; 41: 682-686
- The mental foramen: 1. Size, orientation, and positional relationship to the mandibular second premolar.J Endod. 1990; 16: 221-223
- The mental foramen: 2. Radiographic position in relation to the mandibular second premolar.J Endod. 1992; 18: 271-274
- The mental foramen: 3. Size and position on panoramic radiographs.J Endod. 1992; 18: 383-386
- Position of the mental foramen in a North American, white population.Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol Oral Radiol Endod. 1998; 85: 457-460
- Position of the mental foramen in Kosovarian population.Coll Antropol. 2013; 37: 545-549
- Position of the mental foramen in a Korean population: a clinical and radiographic study.Implant Dent. 2006; 15: 404-411
- Radiographic evaluation of the mental foramen in a selected Iranian population.Indian J Dent Res. 2009; 20: 150-152
- Accessory mental foramina: prevalence, position, and diameter assessed by cone-beam computed tomography and digital panoramic radiographs.Clin Oral Implants Res. 2014; 25: e94-e99
- Accuracy of measurements of mandibular anatomy in cone beam computed tomography images.Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol Oral Radiol Endod. 2007; 103: 534-542
- Determination of the location of the mental foramen: a critical review.J Endod. 2014; 40: 471-475
- Location and dimensions of the mental foramen: a radiographic analysis by using cone-beam computed tomography.J Endod. 2013; 39: 1522-1528
- Cone-beam computed tomography in endodontics.AAE Colleagues for Excellence, 2011
- Evaluation of the mental foramen and accessory mental foramen in Turkish patients using cone-beam computed tomography images reconstructed from a volumetric rendering program.Clin Anat. 2012; 25: 584-592
Article info
Publication history
Published online: April 02, 2015
Identification
Copyright
© 2015 American Association of Endodontists. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
