Evaluation of Position of Mental Foramen in Dentulous Population by Digital Panoramic Radiography

NEED FOR THE STUDY: The mental branch of the trigeminal nerve, which supplies sensation to the lower lip, originates in the mandibular canal, making it an essential anatomical structure for dentists and oral surgeons to access. It is not well known that there is a spectrum of normal that includes variants in which there may be more than one nerve entry site, which means that if the mental foramen is not protected, normal feeling in the lower lip may be lost permanently. The diagnostic value of global radiographic landmarks like the mandibular trench and the dental foramen in identifying skeletal problems has been investigated. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Four hundred patients over 40 who fit the inclusion/exclusion criteria were chosen. Patients were recruited from Vananchal Dental College and Hospital, Garhwa’s Out Patient section for Oral Medicine, Diagnosis, and Radiology. The following patients with their consent are subjected for digital orthopantomography (Cephalometric Device for Rotograph EVOD Ref 930790001, SN 14112930, Villa Sistem Medical) and the captured images are then interpreted for the variations in mandibular canal. RESULT: The results of our study are as follows: In this study, the mean age of the subjects was 47.27 years, with a range of 40–75 years. Majority of cases were females (53.75%) and 46.25% were males. The top of the residual ridge, located between the mental foramen and the mandibular canal, is clearly visible to all observers (grade I). Only 1.75% of the people surveyed had a bifid canal, despite the fact that the majority of the people surveyed had a single mandibular canal on both sides (98.25%). Right side mean was 18,682.017, whereas left side mean was 16,331.851; nevertheless, this difference was not statistically significant (P = 0.0860 NS). CONCLUSION: The dental foramen was located close to where the mandible and the area housing the next premolar met. These findings may be utilized to improve the safety of peri-apical surgical procedures. Therefore, it is therapeutically relevant to get insight into the structural alterations of the mental foramen and locate its location in preoperative radiological scans.