Anatomical variation of the incisive canal: A CBCT study at Universitas Airlangga Academic Dental Hospital

Abstract

Incisive canal located in maxillary anterior of hard palate around maxillary central incisor region that acts as a tunnel between the oral cavity and the nose. Incisive canal provide sensory innervation to the nasal septum and the anterior mucosa of the hard palate. The anatomical shape of the incisive canal varies individually, hence, should be considered before surgical intervention in the oral cavity. To determine the distribution of anatomical variations of the incisive canal in the sagittal section at Universitas Airlangga Academic Dental Hospital using Cone Beam Computed Tomography (CBCT). Fifty-four samples were obtained from the interpretation report of sagittal section of CBCT at Universitas Airlangga Academic Dental Hospital from 2015 – 2021. Observations of the incisive canals were carried out by agreement of authors by classifying the variations into cylindrical shape, funnel shape, banana shapes and hourglass shapes. In 54 samples with an age range of 12 - 70 years, the variations of the incisive canal were Cylindrical shape (63%), Banana shape (19%), Funnel shape (17%) and Hourglass shape (2%). Based on gender, Cylindrical shape was most commonly found in men (56%) and women (73%). Four variations of anatomical variations of the incisive canals were found at Universitas Airlangga Academic Dental Hospital, with cylindrical shape as the most prevalent variation. Therefore, observation of the incisive canal anatomy is necessary before surgical intervention.