Abstract
Objectives: This study was conducted to assess appearance, visibility, location and course of anatomical landmarks in mandibular interforaminal region using cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT). Study design: A total of 96 CBCT examinations was re-evaluated to exploit anatomical landmarks. The examinations used the Promax 3D CBCT unit. A sole examiner carried out all the measurements. Visibilities of the anatomical landmarks were scored using a four-point rating scale. Results: The mandibular foramen, anterior loop, incisive canal and lingual foramen were observed in 100,84,83,49 % of the images, respectively. The mean size, diameter and width of anterior loop, incisive canal and lingual foramen were obtained 3.54± 1.41, 1.47±0.50 and 0.8 ± 0.09mm, respectively. Conclusion: It is not safe to recommend any definite distance mesially from the mental foramen. The diameter of the canals and foramens should be determined on a case-by-case basis to exploit the appropriate location for each individual. Key words:Anatomical landmarks, cone-beam computed tomography, implant surgery, radiographic evaluation, surgical complications.
Highlights
The mandibular inter-mental area is assumed to be a safe area for implant insertion and is involved in many other surgical procedures
Provided that the inferior alveolar or mental nerve is damaged during preparation of an osteotomy, sensory dysfunction appears due to nerve damage in the foraminal area
It can be concluded that there may be large variations in the anatomical landmarks in the foraminal region; one should not assume that a fixed distance mesially from the mental foramen will be safe
Summary
The mandibular inter-mental area is assumed to be a safe area for implant insertion and is involved in many other surgical procedures. The incisive canal continues below the incisor teeth where it generally is divided into a plexus of nerve branches until its main trunk is lost [1,2,3] In this area lingual foramen is present that is located in the midline, leveled with or superior to the genial tubercles. Sensory disturbances of the mental nerve region may arise after endosseous implants are installed in the mandibular interforaminal region because of damage to anatomical structures in this area [9]. For these reasons several articles have reported measurements of the anterior loop length, diameter of incisive canal, incidence of lingual foramen, incisive canal, and mental foramen. The objective of this study was to measure the anatomical landmarks using CBCT in the interforaminal region to determine the safety of drilling in this area
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