Anatomical Evaluation of the Greater Palatine Foramen: A Cone-Beam Computed Tomography Study in Tunisian Patients

Abstract

This study used CBCT to examine the greater palatine foramen in Tunisian patients, aiming to provide crucial anatomical information for administering greater palatine nerve block anesthesia and identifying appropriate locations for harvesting palatal donor tissue. A total of 63 CBCT scans were conducted on Tunisian patients. All patients had fully erupted first, second, and third molars, leading to the examination of 100 greater palatine foramina (GPF). The evaluation of the GPFs encompassed their positioning, Antero-posterior (AP) and latero-medial (LM) diameters, as well as their distances from both the midline maxillary suture (MMS) and the alveolar ridge top (ART). The measurements were conducted using the distance measuring tool of Romexis® viewer software. The IBM® SPSS® version 20.0 statistical package was used to carry out all statistical analyses. The study included 100 CBCTs, with participants consisting of 37 males (58.73%) and 26 females (41.27%), having an average age of 34±12 years. Among the 100 GPFs analyzed, 68% were near the third molar, 23% were situated behind it, and 9% were positioned opposite to the second molar. The average AP and LM diameters were 4.64mm (±1.15) and 2.53mm (±0.68), respectively. The mean distances to the MMS and ART were 13.9mm (±1.51) and 11.45mm (±2.09), respectively. Among Tunisian patients, the GPF position is quite variable, seldom found opposite to the second molar, and tends to be in closer proximity to the third molar.