RADIOGRAPHIC STUDY OF THE MENTAL FORAMEN IN SAUDI FEMALES

Objectives: To study the position of the mental foramina in Saudi fema le population. Design: Panoramic radiographs of Saudi female patients were used to locate the position of the mental foramen. Setting: King Saud University, College of Dentistry, Malaz, Female Campus, (MFC), Ri yadh, Saudi Arabia. Subjects: Panoramic x-rays of 152 female patients between the ages of 15 and 45 years. Results: The most frequent locati on of the mental foramen was apical to the second premolar tooth (46.9 5%) followed closely by the interdental space between the first and se cond premolar (41.75%). A combination of these two locations when cons idered in their symmetrical and asymmetrical positions accounted for a n overall incidence of 87.5 percent. Conclusion: Failure of regional a nalgesia may sometimes be due to the anatomic variation in the positio n of the nerve. The mental nerve occasionally shows abnormal variation s in its usual position. Therefore, a studied knowledge of the relativ e positions of the mental foramen is important for success in administ ering regional analgesia, as well as surgical interventions such als m andibular implant surgery and orthognathic surgical procedures.