POSITION OF THE MENTAL FORAMEN IN A NORTH-AMERICAN, WHITE-POPULATION

Knowledge of the position of the mental foramen is important both when administering regional anesthesia and performing periapical surgery i n the mandible. Although it is often possible to identify the mental f oramen by palpation and radiographically, knowing the normal range of possible locations is essential. Standard anatomic texts have data col lected from dried skulls, but often of unknown origin or from an ethni c group that does not represent the North American population. Objecti ves. This study identified the position of the mental foramen in a mor e representative sample of the North American population. Ethnic and g ender differences were also investigated and the symmetry of location within individuals analyzed. Study design. Regional dissections of 105 human cadavers were carried out to identify the normal range of posit ion of the mental foramen. The vertical and horizontal position was re corded with the two adjacent teeth used as references. If the two adja cent teeth were not present the foramen was not included in the study. Results. The results indicated that the mental foramen was, on averag e, between the premolars, therefore not statistically different from p revious studies. However, there appears to be a greater range than gen erally reported, which is of considerable clinical significance. Examp les of dissections of unusually positioned mental foramina are given.