VOLUME 11 , ISSUE 1 ( January-June, 2020 ) > List of Articles
Nimisha Vathariparambath
Citation Information : Vathariparambath N. Morphological Location of Mandibular and Mental Foramen in Teenagers: A Cone-beam Computed Tomography Study. J Health Sci Res 2020; 11 (1):1-5.
DOI: 10.5005/jp-journals-10042-1088
License: CC BY-NC 4.0
Published Online: 28-09-2020
Copyright Statement: Copyright © 2020; The Author(s).
Introduction: Pain control is an important aspect of the behavior management of pediatric dental patients. Local anesthesia is still a widely used technique for pain control in pediatric dental treatment in which inferior alveolar nerve block is fundamental for achieving local anesthesia for mandibular restorative and surgical procedures. The assessment of the mandibular foramen (MF) and mental foramen (MeF) is of considerable importance for mandibular nerve anesthesia. There may be failure of mandibular nerve block due to improper assessment of the location of the MF and MeF resulting in painful treatment procedures especially in children. A considerable variation in the location of the MF and MeF was reported among different population, in different ages, and even within the same individual on two sides. Aim and objective: To determine the location of the MF and MeF in teenagers using cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT). Materials and methods: A total of 100 MF and MeF (right and left) were obtained from 100 CBCT images of children (13–18 years). Distance from MF to the anterior border (AB) of ramus (A), posterior border of ramus (P) and inferior border of the mandible (MI), most superior point of the curvature of mandibular notch (MN), occlusal plane of the mandibular permanent molars (O), and the distance from MeF to lower border of mandible (BM) and to the alveolar crest (AC) were measured. Results: There was a significant increase in A-MF, MI-MF, MN-MF, and O-MF values with age. A-MF and MI-MF values of females were statistically higher than those of males and MF was located at the occlusal plane at 13 years and then moves upward. There was a significant difference in BM-MeF value with age (p = 0.05). Conclusion: The location of the MF is just posterior to the middle of the ramus and MF and MeF are shifting posterosuperiorly with increasing age.