Mandibular and mental foramen – A morphometric study in western Maharashtra

Abstract

Mandible is the only movable bone of the facial skeleton that forms almost the lower half of the face. In ontogeny, the mandible undergoes substantial morphological and dimensional changes. These changes are largely associated with development of primary and secondary dentition in the human.1 The present study was undertaken to evaluate the anatomical features of mandible i.e. position of mental and mandibular foramina in western Maharashtra and to compare these findings with earlier studies. The findings of this study, variations in size, shape and relationships of dental and lower facial skeletal structure might be useful in providing important data to anatomists, archaeologists, forensic legal experts and maxillo-facial surgeons. Measurements were made on one hundred and ten dry, macerated adult human mandibles of unknown sex from western Maharashtra. Measurements of mental and mandibular foramen from various mandibular anatomical landmarks were taken. In present study it was observed that the most common position of mental foramen is in the line of long axis of 2nd premolar tooth which is universally accepted. Accessory mental foramen was found in one mandible located in line with anterior margin of 1st molar. Keywords: Mandible, Mental foramen, Mandibular foramen, Accessory mental foramen, Dentulous, Edentulous.