Abstract
Objectives: The mental foramen is an important anatomical and clinical landmark for undertaking a successful mental nerve anesthetic block during clinical and surgical procedures in the mandibular and mental region. This study was aimed at studying and documenting the position, shape and direction of opening of the mental foramen in dry mandibles in South-Eastern Nigeria. Methods: 66 dry adult human mandibles obtained from the region of study were used and the parameters visually examined. The position was determined in relation to the mandibular teeth, the shape was determined with the aid of a hand lens and the direction with the aid of a thin office pin inserted into the foramen. Results: The most prevalent position of the mental foramen was shown to be in line with the longitudinal axis of the second premolar teeth (58.33%) followed by the position between the second premolar and the first molar (25.76%). Round shaped foramen was more prevalent (75.76%) than the oval shaped foramen (25.24%) and the foramen pointed posterosuperiorly in 73.48% and anterosuperiorly in 21.21% of the mandibles. It was also observed that there were symmetrical occurrences in majority of the mandibles. Conclusion: The present study showed the average morphology of the mental foramen in the population studied. It may be useful in population diagnosis, clinical practices and in forensic medicine.
Highlights
The mental foramen is located on the anterolateral aspect of the body of mandible[1], somewhat midway between the superior and inferior borders[2]
In the present study in South-Eastern Nigerians, it was showed that the most prevalent position of the mental foramen was found to be in line with the long axis of the second premolar (58.33%) followed by the position between the second premolar and the first molar (25.76%).This agreed with studies by Adejuwon et al12on theYoruba ethnic group of Nigeria, Fabian[13] in Tanzanians, Igbigbi and Lebona[14] in Malawians, Mwanikiand Hassanali[15] in Kenyans, Mbajiorgu et al16in Zimbabweans,and Chkoura and El Wady[17] in Moroccan population,as they all showed the commonest position of the mental foramen to be in line with the long axis of the second premolar followed by theposition between the second premolar and the first molar
The direction of opening of the mental foramen influences the direction in which a needle is advanced for a mental nerve block[26].In this study, it was posterosuperiorly in majority of the subjects (73.48%). This was in agreement with previous studies by Boonpiruk[27] in Thais; Agarwal and Gupta[20] in South Gujarat; Mwaniki & Hassanali[15] in Kenyans; Igbigbi and Lebona[14] in Malawians and Fabian[13] in Tanzanians. It is importantto be aware of the variations that occur in the mental foramen among different population groups
Summary
The mental foramen is located on the anterolateral aspect of the body of mandible[1], somewhat midway between the superior (alveolar) and inferior borders[2] It transmits the mental nerve and vessels[3]. Knowledge of the morphology of the mental foramen is important when administering regional anaesthesia, performing periapical surgery and dental implant surgery and endodontic treatments in the mandible[5]. It would be useful in preserving and avoiding injury to the mental nerve and vessels during surgical procedures and in interpreting anatomical landmarks in oral pathology and forensics 6. Owing to the importance of the mental foramen in clinical procedures and the variation of its parameters in different population groups, the present study is aimed at analyzing the position, shape and direction of mental foramen in the South-Eastern region of Nigeria
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