Background: The mental foramen is an important anatomical land mark, which is helpful in performing different types of surgical procedures & giving local anesthetics for various types of oral as well as maxillofacial surgeries. The understanding about the anatomy of this region is very helpful in performing effective nerve blocks & avoiding injuries to the neurovascular bundles. Therefore, we study about the anatomical location, directions of exit, size & shape of the mental foramen of the mandible in the population of Bihar & compare it with the findings of the different studies.

Materials & Methods: The present study is a cross sectional study which has been carried out on 140 dried fully ossified dentulous adult human mandibles (280 sides). The age & gender of the bones used in the study was not predetermined.

Result: The most common shape of mental foramen recorded in the present study was round shaped (59.29%). The commonest way of it’s exit was in the postero superior direction (93.21%) in both the sides. Mean transverse diameter were 3.34 mm on right side & 3.56 mm on left side whereas mean vertical diameter were 2.94 mm and 3.24 mm for right and left side respectively. The most frequent position of foramen in relation to the lower teeth were below the apex of 2^nd premolar on both the right (36.79%) as well as the left (37.5%) side. The distance between the mental foramen & symphysis menti were 29.01±1.24 mm on the right side & 28.84±1.12 mm on the left side. The distance between the mental foramen & posterior border of ramus were 72.23±1.28 mm on the right side & 79.61±1.76 mm on the left side. While, the results of the measurement between the mental foramen & alveolar crest were 17.54±1.83 mm on the right side & 17.74±1.36 mm on the left side and between the mental foramen & inferior border of body of the mandible were 17.1±1.43 mm & 17.51±1.25 mm on the right & the left side respectively.

Conclusion:  This study provides the necessary data regarding the mental foramen location and its morphometry which may be helpful for the dental surgeons in avoiding injuries of the mental nerve while doing different types of surgeries around this region.

Keywords: Mental Foramen, Morphometry, Mental Anaesthesia, Mandible.

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Avanish Kumar

Additional Professor, Department of Anatomy, Indira Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences, Patna, Bihar.

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