Nasopalatine Canal Revisited: An Insight to Anterior Maxillary Implants

Abstract

Purpose: The study was performed to evaluate variability in nasopalatine canal using cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) in relation to age and gender. The study also provides an insight while considering anterior maxillary implants. Materials and Methods: The study included 200 subjects aged between 19 and 67 years who were divided into the following 3 groups: 1) 19 - 34 years old; 2) 35 - 49 years old; 3) >50 years old. The male and female subjects were 104 and 96 respectively. After obtaining a prior consent, CBCT was performed using a standard exposure and patient positioning protocol. The CBCT volume was sliced in three planes (X, Y, and Z) and was sequentially analyzed for the location, morphology and morphometric dimensions of the nasopalatine canal. The correlation of age and gender with all the variables were evaluated. Results: The present study revealed statistically significant differences in the length of the nasopalatine canal based on the age group. The slanted and the cylindrical variety of the nasopalatine canal were commonly observed in the study. However, no statistical differences were noted in the other variables such as number of openings at the nasal fossa, diameter of the incisive fossa, angulation of the canal as viewed in the sagittal sections and antero-posterior dimensions of the canal in the sagittal sections. Conclusion: The present study demonstrates the variability observed in the anatomy and morphology of the nasopalatine canal which is an important landmark for placing dental implants in the anterior maxillary region.