Mandibular Anterior Nutrient Canals in Periapical Radiography in Relation to Hypertension

BACKGROUND: Hypertension (HTN) is the most commonly encountered systemic disease in general population. Nutrient canals contain blood vessels and nerves that mostly appear in the anterior mandibular region. Nutrient canals are not detected in radiographs of all patients, and their normalcy is controversial by many investigators. OBJECTIVES: The present study investigated the correlation between the appearance of nutrient canals and hypertension as a potential clue to diagnose patients with hypertension. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Thirty two patients with HTN and 32 normotensive subjects were selected. Periapical radiographs were taken from mandibular anterior cuspid-central incisor region since nutrient canals are commonly observed in this area. Data was analyzed by SPSS software with Chi-square and Fisher tests. RESULTS: The incidence of nutrient canals was 37.5% in patients with hypertension and 53.1% in the normotensive subjects, but this difference was not statistically significant (P = 0.209). We did not find any association between duration of hypertension (P = 0.292) or controlled hypertension (P = 0.144), and the presence of nutrient canals. The mean of subject age with nutrient canal was more than those without nutrient canals, and this difference was statistically significant in normotensive patients. CONCLUSIONS: This study revealed that there was no significant association between mandibular anterior nutrient canals and hypertension.