Morphological analysis of the lingula in dry adult human mandibles of north Indian population

Abstract

Context: Lingula is a sharp tongue-shaped bony projection located on the medial aspect of mandibular ramus and knowledge regarding its shape, size, and location is clinically significant in oral and maxillofacial surgeries. Aim: The present study aims to study shape, height, and precise location of lingula in dry adult human mandibles. Materials and Methods: The material for this study comprised of sixty (120 sides) dry adult human mandibles of North Indian origin to determine the morphological features and location of lingula. Student's t -test was used for statistical analysis. Results: Triangular (61.6%) shape of lingula was most commonly found followed by truncated (46.6%), nodular (31.6%), and assimilated (11.6%) types. Each type of lingula was more often unilateral than bilateral. The mean height of the lingula was 5.5 ± 2.02 mm. The mean distance of lingula from the anterior and posterior borders of mandibular ramus was 20.0 ± 2.4 mm and 15.0 ± 2.7 mm, respectively. The lingula was located at 15.4 ± 2.7 mm from the mandibular notch and 30.4 ± 3.5 mm from the distal side of alveolar socket of mandibular second molar tooth. The mean lingula ratio was 0.567 ± 0.005. Conclusion: The information regarding shape, height, and precise location of lingula in relation to various mandibular ramal landmarks could be of immense help in performing surgical procedures such as bilateral sagittal split ramus osteotomy (BSSRO), intraoral ventral ramus osteotomy (IVRO), and inferior alveolar nerve block.