ASSESSMENT OF POSITION OF FOREMEN MANDIBULAE IN RECENT ADULT-POPULATION

Accurate knowledge about the morphology and topography of foramen mand ibulae is of great practical importance in. anaesthesia of inferior al veolar nerve. A certain number of skeletotopical relations may be used as valuable orientation. points. Because of the controversies about t hese marking points it has been decided to perform measurements on a l arge sample of macerated mandibulae that are significant to location a nd shape of foramen mandibulae (FM) and lingula in relation to the sur rounding orientation points. The measurements were taken in antero-pos terior and infra-superior directions. In AP direction the distance bet ween PRR and FM was measured; the obtained sample average was 15.03 at variability of Qv 12.18%; ARR-FM distance had the average value of 17 .52 at Qv of 50%; the CT-FM distance had the average of 14.81 at Qv of 8.17%. In infra-superior direction the following measurements were ma de: AM-FM with the average of 21.10 at Qv of 13.98%; IM-IF with the av erage of 25.19 at Qv of 16.18%; PCO-FM with the average of 44.17 at Qv of 10.48%; and PCR-FM with the average of 42.79 at Qv of 10.87%. Extr eme heterogeneity was noticed in the measurements of lingula. In the a ntero-posterior plane the FM is Located in the middle of the CT-PRR di stance, i.e. in, measurements in, which the external oblique Line was used as anterior point, FM was located at the juncture of two anterior thirds and the posterior third of ramus mandibulae. In infra-superior direction the lowest FM point was closer to AM than to IM, indicating a somewhat lower position. of FM. The mean value of FM depth was 4.31 and the most commonly found shape of the foramen was that of the elon gated type (45%). The lingula was prominent, although unevenly, in 51% of study samples.