Assessment of the blood supply to the lingual surface of the mandible for reduction of bleeding during implant surgery

Abstract

The aim of this study was to assess the frequency of the foramina and their canals on the lingual surface of the mandible using computed tomography (CT), which was carried out for dental implant planning. First, the visibility of the lingual canals of the CT image was verified by dissecting five cadavers. CT images of 200 patients, who had decided on implant treatment, were used in this study. The visibility of the foramina and their canals on the lingual surface of the mandible were assessed. The foramina were divided into two groups by the positions of the mandible, the medial lingual foramen and the lateral lingual foramen. At least one foramen was found in all patients. In the medial group, a higher level of mental spine was seen in 190 patients, the same level of mental spine was observed in 99 patients and a lower level of mental spine was observed in 114 patients. The lateral lingual foramina were found in 160/200 patients and 88/200 patients presented bilaterally. CT can predict the position and the size of the foramina and their canals on the lingual surface of the mandible. All the patients had more than one foramen in the middle of the lingual surface of the mandible on the CT image. The frequency of the lingual foramina in the medial region was 100% and that in the lateral region was 80%. It would also be useful to emphasize the significant variation in the precise location of these lingual foramina, and that these can only be visualized presurgically with volumetric imaging modalities, such as CT or Cone beam 3D systems.