Cone-beam computed tomography evaluation of prevalence and location of mandibular incisive canal in patients attending King Saud University Dental Hospital

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to facilitate a surgeon's preoperative assessment by detecting the prevalence, location, and course of the mandibular incisive canal (MIC) in our population. METHODOLOGY: A retrospective study was conducted at King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. A total of 93 cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) scans of patients aged 18–50 years were taken. The images were reformatted from the sagittal sections to para-sagittal sections at premolars, canines, lateral incisors, and central incisors measured to the distance of MIC to the tooth apex, to the inferior border of the mandible, to the buccal cortex, and to the lingual cortex. RESULTS: MIC among the patients was found to be present in 96.8% of the total subjects. Prevalence between genders showed that it was present in 97.9% of the male patients and 95.5% of the female patients. The average distance from the buccal cortex is 4.88, the lingual cortex is 5.54, inferior border is 9.94, and root apices is 7.67. The age-wise and gender-wise comparison of a mean distance of MIC to the different surfaces in the different cross-sections showed that there is no correlation, and there is a significant correlation, respectively. CONCLUSION: The detection of the MIC presence and location using CBCT should be earnestly considered for surgical procedures that are intended to be done in the interforaminal region.