Abstract
The retromolar foramen (RMF) is a rare anatomical structure situated in the retromolar fossa behind the third molar tooth. When it is present, the foramen is connected with the mandibular canal and is believed to transmit neurovascular structures that provide accessory source to the mandibular molars and the buccal area. Reports from the literature show that the presence of RMF could pose a challenge in complete blockage of the inferior alveolar nerve during mandibular surgeries. We report the incidence of retromolar foramen from ninety-four dry mandibles of south-eastern part of Karnataka State, India. The foramen was observed in 11 mandibles out of 94 included in the study (11.7%). In three mandibles, the foramen was present bilaterally (3.2%) and in three it was on the left side (3.2%) and in five it was on the right side (5.3%). For the first time, we also measured the dimensions of the retromolar area and distance of the foramen from third molar tooth to understand its risks during the surgical extraction of the lower third molar tooth. A thorough review of the literature has also been done to compare the present findings with the studies reported from the various populations.
Highlights
The retromolar foramen (RMF) is an inconstant foramen situated in the central portion of the retromolar fossa which is bounded by the anterior border of ramus of the mandible and temporal crest
The foramen receives a canal of variable depth that normally arises from the mandibular canal behind the lower third molar, which is regarded as the retromolar canal (RMC) [1]
The foramen was observed bilaterally (3.2%) and in another three it was on the left side (3.2%) and in another five it was on the right side (5.3%)
Summary
The RMF is an inconstant foramen situated in the central portion of the retromolar fossa which is bounded by the anterior border of ramus of the mandible and temporal crest. Normal morphological findings of the human mandible and its possible variations that occur have attracted special interest in the recent years in the field of odontostomatological surgeries [2]. One such anatomical variation which draws special attention in clinical dental practice is the RMF in the retromolar trigone (RMT). The trigone is bounded medially by temporal crest, laterally by the anterior border of the ramus, and anteriorly by the base of third molar tooth [3]. There is no recent systematic study conducted on the RMF occurrence in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, India, with the morphometry we adopted; we report our findings on the occurrence of RMF in this population
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