Cone-Beam Computed Tomography Analysis on the Relationship between the Mandibular Third Molar and the Position of the Mandibular Canal in Koreans from the Yanbian Area and the Han People

OBJECTIVE: To analyze differences in the positional relationships between the mandibular third molar (MTM) and the mandibular canal in Korean and Han patients using cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) and to provide a basis for preoperative risk assessments. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The CBCT imaging data of 260 Korean and Han patients were collected. The patients' genders, ages, impaction types and depths, relative positions between the MTMs and the mandibular nerve canals, and the shortest distances and shapes at the root tips and cortical bones were all recorded and analyzed. All data were compared using the nonparametric test, ordered logistic regression analysis, a chi-square test, and Fisher's exact test. RESULTS: The relationship between the mandibular canal and the relative position of the MTM differed between Korean and Han patients, mainly in the different types of impactions, and the difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05). The shortest distance between the mesioangular and horizontally impacted mandibular canals and the buccal side of the MTM in Korean patients was less than in Han patients, and the difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05). For horizontal impactions, the probability of cortical bone interruption was 1.980 times greater in Korean patients than in Han patients, and the difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05). The significance threshold was set at 0.05. CONCLUSION: There are some differences in the positional relationship between the mandibular canal in the MTM region and the rate of cortical bone disruption between Koreans from the Yanbian area and the Hans. This should gain clinical attention.