LOCATIONAL RELATIONSHIP OF THE SUPRAORBITAL NOTCH OR FORAMEN AND INFRAORBITAL AND MENTAL FORAMINA IN KOREANS

The morphology and locational relationship of the supraorbital notch/f oramen, infraorbital foramen, and mental foramen were studied from pho tographs of 124 Korean skulls (male 35, female 18, unknown sex 71). Th e infraorbital foramen was on the sagittal plane passing through the s upraorbital notch/foramen (36.4%), or lateral to the plane (63.6%). Th e mental foramen was either on the plane (69.3%), lateral to the plane (21.8%), or medial to the plane (9.0%). The supraorbital notch/forame n, infraorbital foramen, and mental foramen were on the same sagittal plane in 38.1% of the cases. The supraorbital notch (69.9%) was found more frequently than the supraorbital foramen (28.9%). The average dis tance from the median plane to the center of the supraorbital notch/fo ramen, infraorbital foramen, and mental foramen was 22.7, 27.2 and 24. 4 mm, respectively. The average length of the line from the center of the supraorbital notch/foramen to the center of the infraorbital foram en was 45.6 mm, and the angle of this line to the sagittal plane was 5 .8 degrees. The average distance from the infraorbital margin to the c enter of the infraorbital foramen was 8.6 mm, and that from the inferi or margin of mandible to the center of the mental foramen was 15.5 mm in males and 14.0 mm in females. The average horizontal width of the s upraorbital notch/foramen, infraorbital foramen, and mental foramen wa s 4.7, 4.8 and 2.4 mm, respectively. Most commonly, the infraorbital f oramen was lateral to the sagittal plane of the supraorbital notch/for amen, and the mental foramen was on that plane. This locational relati onship would be helpful clinically to determine the location of the in fraorbital and mental foramina, by palpation of the supraorbital notch .