Lingual vascular canals of the mandible: Evaluation with dental CT

PURPOSE: To evaluate: whether dental computed tomography (CT) can depict th e frequency, diameter, position, and direction of vessels entering the mand ible through lingual bone canals. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty-two consecutive patients underwent preimplant ation CT of the lower jaw and examination for the presence, number, locatio n, diameter, and direction of lingual canals entering the mandible. In addi tion, three cadaver mandibles were investigated with dental CT and subseque ntly dissected to confirm the CT findings. RESULTS: All patients demonstrated at least one lingual vascular canal, and 20 (63%) had multiple (two to five) canals. The typical lingual canal loca tions were the midline of the mandible and the premolar region. The mean di ameter of the lingual canals was 0.7 mm +/- 0.3 (SD)(range, 0.4-1.5 mm) in the midline and 0.6 mm +/- 0.2 (range, 0.3-1.2 mm) in both premolar regions of the mandible. Examination results in the three cadaver mandibles confir med the CT findings in those mandibles. CONCLUSION: Dental CT can depict the occurrence, position, and size of the lingual vascular canals of the mandible Radiologists should be aware of thi s anatomic feature and Its possible implications.