Mandibular foramen topographic evaluation on partly dentate and edentulous macerate anatomic pieces

Abstract

The Lower Alveolar Nerve block is in Dentistry one of the anesthetic techniques that present major rates of failures in function of anatomical change of Mandibular Foramen (MF) that is of paramount importance to the lower teeth anesthesia success because it’s used as an anatomical mark to fluid delivery on the anesthetic technique. The purpose of this study is to assess the FM topographic localization on 100 macerated adult human mandibles of individuals, total or partially edentulous, using a millimeter paquimeter and dry end compasses. It was observed that cranium-caudally the FM was on middle third of mandible ascendant branch on 80,4% and 89,1% of partly dentate mandibles (dm), and in 63% and 74% of the edentulous mandibles (mdd), in right (R) and in left (L) antimeres respectively. On anterior-posterior direction 97.8% (R/L) of md presented the FM on middle third of mandible ascendant branch and at 96.3% (R) and 92.6% (E) of mdd the FM was placed at this position. Still in direction anterior-posterior, in 2.2% (R) and 4.4% (L) of md and 11.1% (R) and 9.2% (L) on mdd the FM was found centered between the edges both anterior and posterior boards of ascendant mandible branch. It’s concluded that there’s no exact topographic correlation of FM on opposite antimeres for the same individual not even between different individuals. Key words: mandibular foramen, position, mandible, anatomical.